The Universal Warrior
by TheOC'sAristocracy
Summary: This is a story about my human OC named Matthew, who somehow ends up in the Kung Fu Panda universe! How will he get back home? What will our beloved heroes from the KFP universe think of him? Are there any other humans in this world with him? Check it out for all of these questions answered, and new ones asked. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**What's up people? I'm new to this site, and posted this mainly to get the story out of my head.**

**So, give it a chance. Who know? You might just like it!**

**I own none of the characters mentioned, except for my OC's. **

**Sooo, anyways, on with the show!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Kung Fu Panda! All characters are property of Dreamworks.**

* * *

"Where am I?"

"Are you alright sir?"

I opened my eyes to see a goose. A GOOSE! WHAT?! This is probably the best prank on the world, I thought. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Mr..." "Ping, owner of the fine establishment around you. And I hate to be rude, but what are you?" "What do you mean? I'm a human being." "Hu-man?"

Ok, this is weird. Better play along. I thought. "Yeah, haven't you heard of my kind? We range all around the globe, Australia, Africa, Europe, the USA." I sat up, and to my surprise, I was in what looked like an old times kitchen. "I'm sorry, but I have heard of none of these places. I-"

"It's the Dragon Warrior!"

Listening to cheers and the occasional "ooh" and "aah".

Watching him come into the room, he looked like a panda, i was about to laugh, then I looked to my former acquaintance and found he hadn't even cracked a smile. This is a joke, right?

"Am I dreaming?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"I said am I dreaming. I mean, I see a panda and a goose talking and walking."

"Dad, who is this."

"'I'm not sure, I found him unconscious in the alley outside the shop. What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't." I answered coldly.

"Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Po, better known around here as the Dragon Warrior."

"That's nice, but I'm a bit freaked out right now, and would rather go-"

"Out of my way! Where is the Dragon Warrior?"

Watching as a group of thugs converged into the courtyard.

"Is that your fan group?" I teased.

"No, worse. Dad, stay here."

"I said where he is! Are you people deaf?!"

"I'm right here." Po stepped out among the crowd.

Oh, the legendary Dragon Warrior! It is a great pleasure to finally destroy you."

"I highly doubt that." I said, stepping beside Po.

"Kid, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Po warned.

"It's cool man, I've fought worse."

Hey boss man! You can either walk away with all your bones intact, or I will deliver you to whoever sent you, piece by piece." I said.

"A runt like you? That's hilarious. Jeff, show him how we deal with people who make me mad." The thug said, as his friend walked towards me.

He then turned his attention to the dragon warrior.

"Now, where were we? Oh, I remember." He pulled out his spear.

"Get him."

At this his men started to charge, only to all be stopped by several throwing knifes to the head.

"WHAT?!"

At that I lowered my hand. "Who's next?" I toyed.

He tried to rally up his troops, but there were none left.

"Where did-"

"I killed them, if you have failed to notice. One last chance, you can leave with your life." I said, putting away my last throwing knife.

"I will not be defeated by some mere child!" He shouted.

I'll admit, I probably don't look very intimidating. A kid in a green hoodie and blue jeans, how terrifying...

Then he charged at me, at which I kicked his leg, causing him to fall, but not before snapping his neck.

I looked up from his corpse and found faces of fear rather than joy.

"Uh, did I miss something?"

"Who are you?"

I turned around to find a tiger, mantis, monkey, crane, viper, and red panda.

"Well, this is a problem." I said, more to myself than the others.

* * *

**Sooo, how do you guys like it so far?**

**...**

**Don't worry, part 2 is on the way!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I OWN NOTING THAT HAS TO DO WITH **KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

"...I'll ask one last time. What is your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Matthew McCormack, I am a human being, I am 18 years old, and I have no recollection of coming into this world. Satisfied?"  
...

"Uh, well. This has been a riveting few minutes, but I really must be going."  
While walking out the door, I was jumped on, and forcibly pinned to the ground.  
"WHO SENT YOU?! Tigress asked harshly.  
"Ugh, no one, I just got here, remember?"

She pressed her knee harder into my back, while twisting my arm.  
At this I started laughing. "You know, i don't even want to think about the example you are setting for the village people. I mean, attacking strangers, physical abuse, death threats, keep racking 'em up stripes."  
"THATS IT!-"

"Enough Tigress, he is right."  
"Thank you Shifu. Now will you please get off?"

While lifting herself, I heard in a low, growl tone," We'll finish this later."  
"Finally."

At this the crowd dispersed, returning to their usual day.

While walking away, I realized I had no food, no water, and no place to stay.  
All I had were the clothes on my back, a few extra throwing knives, my iPhone, and my backpack for high-school the next morning.  
As I was observing my surroundings, I heard the pitter-patter of foot steps in the distance.

"You know Shifu, if your going to sneak up on someone, you should try and be-"  
"Oh."  
I was met with a sword to my throat.  
"You will die for the things you have done to my brothers."  
It was a crocodile, looking like a mirror image of his now deceased compatriots.

I gazed past the angered reptile, to see the Five, Shifu, Po, and Mr. Ping staring intently. Then staring back at the crocodile.

At this, he gave me an evil grin. "Get on your knees, you worthless thing." I started to chuckle at this.  
"I'm gonna count to five." He said pulling my head closer to his.

I then glared right back at him, and raised my iPhone into the air. "I'm gonna count to three."  
The crowd stared in amazement at this scene.

I went to my music folder an choose "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" by Train.

"One push of a button, and the voices of the Gods shall enter your mind, destroying it." I said, hoping he would buy that dirty lie.

He then glanced at the device. That was all the time I needed. I then quickly kicked him onto his back, and stole his sword from him.

"Leave." I warned.  
He began to sprint in the direction of the five, who quickly stopped him by punching him in the face.  
I noticed the now sizable crowd that assembled. "Carry on." I said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Kung Fu Panda**

* * *

I then focused on other matters, such as where I will sleep tonight.

"Excuse me, Matthew?"

"Yeah?" I saw nobody in front of me.

"Ahem, down here."

"Oh, sorry Master Shifu. I didn't see you there."

"It's quite alright." He assured. "I realize we have just met but, do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"

"Speak of the Devil." I said under my breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. And no, now that you mention it."

"Well, you are more than welcome to stay at the Jade Palace for a night's stay."

"Thank you Master Shifu, that is very generous of you."

"It's the least I can do for saving my friend, Mr. Ping." He said.

"It was my pleasure. To tell you the truth, it was kind of fun." Looking back at the recent events.

"Glad to hear it. The only reason to worry now is how to tell my students you will be staying with us tonight."

**LATER**

"WHAT?! Master Shifu, are you crazy? He could be a bloodthirsty killer for all we know!" Tigress said.

"Is the fearless Tigress afraid of a little competition in that department?" Mantis taunted.

His comment was followed by a backhanded smack into a wall. Curtsy of a very angry feline.

"I agree with Tigress, I mean he did kill all those bandits." Crane said.

"Not to mention doing so in front of the whole town." Monkey added.

"Well like it or not, he is staying with us tonight. So I expect to show him respect as if he were one of your own. Understood?" Shifu asked.

"Understood." They all said in unison.

"Good, I will lead our guest to the palace."

**THAT NIGHT**

"Here are the bedrooms." Shifu stated.

"Thank you Master, anything else?"

"One more thing, call me Shifu. There is no need to call me master, you are our guest." "Thanks for the tip." I said.

"Anytime."

He shut the door to my room. At that moment, I started rummaging through my backpack. "Come on, come on." I muttered. "Aha!"

I found my iPhone. I don't know why, but music would always relax me during chaotic times. I started listening to "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin, and drifted to sleep.

**10 MINUTES LATER**

"Tigress, I'm not so sure about this." Po worried.

"Yeah, didn't Master Shifu instruct us all to respect our guest?" Viper chimed.

"But how will Shifu know we disrespected his orders, if we aren't caught breaking them?" She reassured.

"Yeah, but still." Po continued. "It's only for one night, can't we give him a break?"

"I will right after I see what he is hiding." She replied.

Using the cover of night, the furious 5 and Po slipped into the bedroom.

"What do we do now Tigress?" Mantis asked.

"Look for something incriminating!" She hissed.

"What about this?" Crane asked.

"What is it?" Monkey asked.

"Dancing In the Rain." Tigress began to read.

**3 MINUTES LATER**

"That was beautiful." Po sobbed.

"Wow." Viper said.

"Exactly." Chimed Mantis

"Brilliant." Crane added.

"Are you all finished?" Tigress asked. "Good. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get back to-" "Leaving my room." I finished for her.

"Uh, we were just-I mean we- sigh. This is exactly what it looks like."

"It's fine, I won't tell Shifu. Now will you plea-" "Mathew! How did you create such a wonderful story?" Exclaimed the rest.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about."

"Yes you do! Viper answered. "It's the story about the young woman trying to find her father."

"Oh, so you found that too?" The darkness was now masking my blush.

"Yes! We all loved it! Well, except for Tigress. She doesn't like anything. Mantis said and once again, he was backhanded into a wall.

"Great." I said sarcastically.

"What? Don't you like your story?" Po questioned.

"Can you guys just please leave? It's been a long day."

With that they headed back to their rooms, except for Tigress.

"Something wrong, Tigress?" I asked.

"How can you be so cool about everyone going through your things?

I mean, you just entered the valley, you don't know anyone here, and you are the talk of the whole village.

Then, on your first night in here, you see us going through your possessions. Don't you care?"

"Let's just say, worse has happened. Now will you please leave me in peace?"

Stepping into the dark hallway, she left my room.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

*GONG*

"Good morning Master."

His students said in unison.

"Good morning students. I assume our guest left early this morning?"

"Yeah, he seemed in a hurry too." Po added.

"Good, let's begin with our training."

**OUTSIDE THE VALLEY**

It was just becoming dawn, and the solders of Gongmen city guarded its gates.

In the distance, there was the silhouette of a man slightly visible.

He began to slowly walk towards the solders, his form covered with a long, black cloak.

The person had just entered into plain view, when the guards started taking notice.

"Halt! What is your business here?" The tallest guard asked.

At this the man kept a neutral tone. "My business is to simply bring this world to its knees."

"We'll just see what master Ox and Croc have to say about that." He said in a mocking tone.

"Well there is no sense in wasting your time, they will be dead after all." He replied.

"What are you talking about?" another guard asked.

"I'm curious, are all of you animals deaf, or do you simply choose not to listen? Like I said, they will be killed." The stranger reiterated.

"Over my dead body!" The largest guard shouted.

"That's a start." The figure replied.

Then one guard began to get cocky. "It's going to be fun to break your legs after the masters are finished with you."

"Oh, I am petrified." He said in a sarcastic tone. He then took the closest guards spear and drove it into his chest.

"I am truly petrified."

With that, all the remaining guards attacked the hooded figure. This skirmish only lasted about 5 seconds.

Their screams could be hears from miles away, before they ended abruptly.

Silence.

He began to walk to the gates, when a voice caught his ear. "Who are you?" The withering guard asked in a shaky voice.

The man turned to him, kneeled down to face the guard on the ground, and removed his cloak.

"I am your new ruler." He said with a faint smile.

The guard glanced at the figures now, blood stained hands glistened in the sunlight.

He was in fact, a human.

He then slowly pushed, and twisted, his machete blade into the guards stomach.

"All hale your new ruler." He whispered more to himself, than his victim.

The figure cleaned his blood-soaked machete using the edge of his shirt, then broke down the gates to Gongmen City.

**HOURS LATER**

"Master Shifu! Master Shifu!" Shouted an extremely nervous bird.

Shifu then signaled his students to stop training.

"What is it Zeng?"

"I have just received word that Gongmen City has been attacked!" He wailed.

"Aw! Again?" Po complained. "I mean, can't they keep it peaceful there for at least a year?"

Tigress elbowed him in the stomach. "Po, this is serious."

"You are right Tigress. Zeng, has the attacker been identified?" Shifu asked.

"Some witnesses said he was a new breed of monkey, with no fur or tail. I'm not exactly sure what species they were talking about."

"With all due respect master, this person has to be your "guest" from last night. I mean, it's not like humans just appear in this area every day." Tigress recalled.

"Your right Tigress. Students, sweep the valley to see if there are any clues to Matthews' whereabouts." Shifu ordered.

"Yes Master. They all replied.


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter is here! Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KFP!**

* * *

**IN THE VALLEY**

"*16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in dept.*"

I started to sing.

I was slouched on a bench behind a tailor's shop, trying to forget I ever came into this world.

"Wow, it's hard to get drunk with no alcohol around." I said to myself.

Scanning the valley I saw a vendor being robbed by some gorillas.

"Guess I should help." I decided.

Letting out a sigh, I slowly approached the bandits.

I walked up to one who was grabbing money from a tip jar.

"I suggest you stop what you're doing." I said to him.

He then turned to me. "Yeah, who's going to make me?" He taunted.

"No one, it was just a suggestion. That is if you want your head to stay on your body." I said.

Then they all started to pay attention to me. The biggest one gave me a death glare.

"Give me one good reason to not beat you to a pulp right now." He stated while lightly grabbing my shoulder.

I then looked straight into his eyes.

"If you don't let go right now, you won't use that hand ever again." I warned.

"Oh, I'm so scared of a little freak like you. What are you anyway? Some kind of monkey who entered the gene pool the wrong way?"

He and his friends began to laugh at the joke that required absolutely no thought.

The one holding my shoulder then pushed me to the ground.

"Let's see how many punches your kind can take, before passing out." The largest one threatened.

"Look, I'm having a bad week, so get lost, and I'll forget i ever walked into you batch of idiots." I tested.

"Leave NOW!" I heard behind me.

I watched as the gorillas took off like bats out of hell.

I then turned around, revealing the furious 5.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

I was then pinned to the ground by Tigress, while trying to get up.

"Come on Tigress, I would think by now you would have warmed up to me."

"Why did you attack Gongmen City?" She questioned.

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, I've been sitting on this bench all day. I was nowhere near Gongmen City."

"Look, all I know is that the assailant described resembled a human." She said.

"And as far as I'm concerned, you are the only human in all of China. What other explanation is there?"

"Then how did I get to Gongmen City, and back in such a little amount of time?" I questioned.

"I've heard it takes at least a DAYS journey to even GET there!

Not to mention I don't have a map, I don't have a boat, and I have absolutely no intention to go there!"

"There, I'm done with my objection. Continue."

"He's got a point." Mantis said. "Maybe we jumped the gun on that one."

"Alright Mantis, what do you think happened then?"

"Uh, not to interrupt you two, but you're kind of crushing my chest Tigress." I said. She scoffed, then lifted her foot.

"Thank you. Now I don't know why you guys are accusing me. Maybe there is another human in this world."

"Well then why haven't we heard of another one? I mean, it would be conversation worthy." Crane said.

"Well it's clearly because-" "Do you hear that?" I asked.

"Yes, started Viper. It sounds like music."

We heard the sound of the United States National anthem echoing around the city.

We then watched as a black jeep pulled up, playing the song at full blast.

We all watched as five heavily-armed humans emerged from the vehicle.

Then the music stopped.

"Hello simple minded animals. I am only here to announce I am now your new and all time ruler.

If any of you pathetic miscreants has a problem with my ways, you shall be killed in a public ceremony."

"I guess Matthew was right." Monkey said.

"Wow, you sure know how to make an entrance Alex." I started. "How do you get here anyway? How did you get all that stuff?"

"You know him?" Viper asked, staring at me curiously.

"Not to worry Matthew, I'll tell you in time.

And I must say, I am intrigued that you happen to show up inexplicably anywhere I am."

"You came to me, in case you have forgotten." I replied.

"My, my, aren't we testy. I mean, your appearance in a godforsaken world, with bloody talking animals, in ways I cannot possibly fathom, have learned the art of Kung Fu."

"Step aside Matthew, let the Masters handle this. Tigress said, pushing me aside. Now, what do you want?"

"Oh! Is the kitty so keen for an answer?" This comment earning him a menacing growl.

"Fine, I am here to rule this putrid world, and all who inhabit it, because quite frankly, it's my nature." He said with a smile.

"We won't let you do that." Po said.

"I was hoping you would say that. Now, ladies and gentlemen." He said loudly, standing on top of the jeep.

"I am going to show you the most magnificent weapon ever created from gunpowder. It is called the firearm."

"Alex don't you dare!" I scorned.

"Calm yourself Matthew, I won't kill all of them. At least, not yet."

"You won't be killing any of us!" Mantis stated.

"Right then, allow me to show you how it works." He then pulled out a desert eagle. Staring at it, as it gleamed in the sunlight.

He slammed a fully-loaded clip into the barrel, and then pulled back the slide. "Speechless already?" he taunted. They all gave him stone cold glances.

"Ignorant fools, alright then." He fired a shot into the air, and stepped off the jeep.

The crowd started screaming and ran as fast as they could, trying to get away from this terrifying object.

The furious five jumped, wide eyed in fear. They were holding their ears, trying to stop the painful ringing.

I then lunged at Alex, trying to grab the gun from his hands.

I was quickly whacked in the face with the barrel, sending me to the ground.

He turned his gaze back to the animals, who were covering their ears trying to calm their nerves.

They then all stood up, regaining their stances.

"We will protect this valley from all enemies, even you." Monkey said.

"Students! What happened? Shifu asked, as he sprinted down the palace steps. I heard what sounded like a light-"

Alex pointed the gun at Shifu's head. "Your students are fine, they are only being disciplined." Alex said.

"Who on earth are you?" Shifu asked.

"Christ, do I have to say it again?"

I then performed a leg sweep, sending him to the ground, which knocked the gun out of his hand.

"Troops, attack!" He ordered.

The five troops raised their MP5KS, when they were kicked, punched, and otherwise beaten to the ground by the seven Masters.

I was now wrestling with Alex, when he took hold of the pistol on the ground.

He pressed the barrel to my temple, but I swatted it away, just in time for it to discharge on my shoulder.

I wailed in pain as I grabbed the gun, and forced its clip to drop to the ground.

Alex then kicked me off and scrambled to his vehicle.

"Be warned, this is only the beginning!" He fumed. He put the jeep in reverse and drove away.

I watched as several guards converged on the area, restraining the now semi-conscious humans.

I then fainted from the initial shock of being shot.

"Will he be alright?"

"What do we do now?"

"We need to find a doctor."

"We must find out what he knows about the man who attacked us."

"Who is he, really?"

* * *

**Duh, duh, DUUUUNNN! A villain is finally introduced in the story! **

**How am I gonna top this? Uh, I'll think of something...**

**Next chapter coming soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another Chapter Posted! **

**And just a heads up, this chapter does include some "Inappropriate" language and scenes. **

**Sooo, unless you are 12 or above you can't read it...**

**Who am I kidding? You can do whatever you want!**

**Disclaimer-I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA! ONLY MY OC's.**

* * *

...

I began to stir. My eyes were still shut, and I took a deep breath.

I then slowly opened my eyes, immediately being blinded by the sunlight.

"Ah!" I grunted to myself, clenching my forearm. I inspected it, and saw it was wrapped in gauze.

I looked around, and realized I was in the Jade Palace. It was probably one of the Masters rooms.

I then heard the others conversation through the door.

"Master, please. Let us fight him. We are prepared."

"No! It's too dangerous. You are not prepared for something like this."

"Ahem."

They all turned around to see me in the doorway.

I was immediately pinned against the wall by my neck.

"You know him, who is he?" asked Tigress.

"I'll tell you when you let me go." I replied.

She removed her forearm from my throat.

"Jesus, it's the same routine with you isn't it Tigress?" I said, rubbing my neck.

"Anyway. Yes I do know him, and contrary to popular belief no, you are not ready to fight him."

"How did you know we were going to fight him?" Viper asked.

"Uh, the doors and walls are made of paper. It was hard not to hear you."

"And why are we not ready to fight him?" Mantis asked.

"Because he has guns, and solders, and vehicles, things that haven't even been invented in this world."

They all looked at me with curiosity.

"Look, I'll show you a picture of what I mean on my-" "Where's my phone?" asking as I felt around in my empty pocket.

"Where's my backpack?"

"What's a phone?" Crane asked.

"My possessions, where are my possessions?"

"We put them in the training hall.

We figured you didn't need them since you were… occupied." Tigress coldly replied, gesturing to my bandaged arm.

"Of course I need them! Those item are the only reason I've survived here!" I exclaimed.

"That's not true," Po objected. "We helped you."

"Oh that's rich! Correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys covered your ears the entire time."

"Watch your tone human," Shifu tested. "My students will be shown respect."

"I don't need to show them shit!

They haven't done anything for me except accuse me of crimes, and rummage through my belongings."

"Is this true students?" Master Shifu asked, turning towards them.

"Uh…" Po began. "It was Tigresses idea!" He stated, pointing to the feline.

"Tigress.

Of all my students, I would expect you to be the most responsible and respectful towards others.

You will be punished for this."

I sighed loudly, trying to calm myself.

At least Tigress is finally getting what she deserves. I thought, smiling inwardly.

"And as for you." Shifu shouted, pointing at me. "I expect you to work twice as hard as everyone else here."

"Why? What did I do?" I asked, glaring at him.

"You have shown my students no respect, and I expect you to apologize for the matter before you begin."

"You know what? I don't need this! I've been putting up with all of you for way to long.

I'm done!" I said walking out the door.

"Good luck fighting Alex with only your kung Fu bullshit, and good intentions! It's been a fucking pleasure knowing all of you!"

I slammed the door behind me. I then realized, I had nowhere else to stay.

"Dammit!" I muttered, running my fingers through my hair.

I then ran to the training hall, in search of my backpack, at least that'll be a step in the right direction.

I began to look around the training hall, but I couldn't find anything.

Did Tigress lie? I thought.

I wouldn't be surprised, she has been treating me like crap this entire time.

I then quickly swung around, seeing a shadow run by. "Why doesn't this place have a light switch?" I asked myself.

"Hello?" I asked, stepping to the middle of the room.

"Who the heck are you?"

I turned around to see three Alligators, all holding a handful of training weapons.

"Let me guess, you guys are attempting to steal weapons from the Jade Palace." I accused.

"Yeah, but don't tell anybody."

"Jizi shut up!" said who I assume is the leader. "Now he's going to tell on us!"

I then heard the five heading to the training hall.

"Guess I don't have to." I said. "The five have a vigorous training schedule, all day, every day."

Then they began to smile. "Or they can blame you for stealing." The third thug said.

At that I smiled back. "Why would they blame me if I leave right now?"

I was then grabbed from behind. "What? There are four of you?"

"Uh, duh! Don't you always need a backup plan?" Jizi said.

I was about to have the weapons forced in my hands, when Jizi started coughing.

"Jizi, shut up! We got to be quiet!" The leader said.

Jizi then started coughing up blood, and fell to the ground with a thud.

The three remaining bandits stared at their partner with concern.

I took notice of a black switchblade, planted firmly in Jizi's back.

Realizing they were all distracted, I quickly flipped the forth (now third) guard off of me.

We then all began to notice the voices of the masters rapidly approaching.

The guard to the left of the leader sprinted to the door, blocking it with a spear between the handles.

I got into a fighting stance, glaring at the first two thugs.

I glanced back at Jizi, noticing the inserted knife was now gone.

"What's your plan now?" I asked, taunting them.

I then heard a choking sound from the back of the room, following the sound of cascading liquid, and then a loud thud.

"Uh, are you guys going to check that out?" I asked.

"Mang, you OK?" The leader asked behind him.

"No he's not." A chilling male voice answered.

"What did you do to him?" asked the second guard, turning around.

"The same I'm going to do to you." He answered back.

We heard a bang on the blocked door.

"The doors stuck." Po stated from outside.

"Step aside Po." Monkey said.

We listened in silence, still glancing at each other in the darkness.

"They can't know we are here." The leader said.

"AAAHHHH!" We heard a scream from the second guard.

"Zhang? The leader asked, turning around to find his partner was missing.

"HELP ME!" was all we heard.

Silence.

"Zhang?!" His voice was now trembling.

"Did you hear that?" Mantis asked.

"Is someone in there?" Viper asked.

"YE-"My voice muffled by the alligators hand.

"They can't know I'm here!" he hissed into my ear.

"They will know when they find your mutilated corpse." The man said, behind the cover of darkness.

"YOU AREN'T GETTING ME!" the leader shouted out.

"There is someone there!" Tigress said. "Open the door now!" She began pounding on the door.

"Oh no, oh NO!" the leader started to panic.

"HERE! TAKE HIM!" he shoved me to the ground in front of him.

"I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" He began to claw at the walls, forgetting the weapons he intended to steal altogether.

I was then attempting to take the spear out between the door handles, when the shouting suddenly stopped.

"Shit." I swore, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Whoever you are, just make it quick." I said as calmly as possible.

"Why would I do that Matthew?" The man asked.

He then flicked on a lighter, revealing his face.

Mason!" I said, hugging him. "You are a real asshole, you know that?"

The Masters broke open the door, letting the light flood in.

Mason immediately broke the hug and brought out his switchblade.

The Masters got into their fighting stances, ready to take down the intruder.

"Guys calm down, he's a friend." I assured. "His name is Mason Reed."

* * *

**Yeah! Another OC! Don't worry, i'm only going to add five OC's at the max, including the main character...**

**And also, back stories will be explained in the next chapter or two sooo... Chill until I update again.**

**Make sure to review and have an awesome day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Whats up guys? I finally have a new chapter out! Soo, I'll stop talking and let you read!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

"Well, we came back here because you still haven't told us about Alex." Crane said, trying to avoid the awkward conversation.

Monkey began to look around the area, and spotted the bodies.

Monkey then took his Kung Fu stance once again. "Murderer!" He shouted towards Mason.

The other masters realized the same thing as Monkey, and took their stances as well.

"No! He was protecting me!" I defended.

Po put a hand on my shoulder.

"We have to bring him in." He said.

"No, I won't let you!" I replied, stepping in front of Mason.  
"Matthew we have to, otherwise we wouldn't fit the example the valley is expecting from us." Crane said.

I was then pulled aside by Viper, who showed some empathy for my pain.  
Mason was backing away from the remaining five, his switchblade in hand.

"Don't!" I shouted at them, but it did no good. He was being surrounded by five Kung Fu masters, he was no match.

Mason dropped his switchblade willingly, not saying a word to any of them.

He was then apprehended by Tigress, and taken down the palace steps.

I tried to pull away from the masters, but Viper sustained her grip.  
The guards came into the valley, and took Mason by the wrists.

Putting cuffs on him, treating him like any other criminal.

He was taken away in the cart, not saying a thing to anyone.

Fighting back tears, I watched as the cart headed off into the sunset.  
I jerked my hand from Vipers grip, then spotting my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

"Matthew, I'm sorry." Po started. "We just-"  
"Don't Po." I interrupted. "If you guys are going to beat Alex, I'll have to tell you all his weaknesses." I said as I stepped out into the forming night.

...

We all stepped into Po's room, while he shut the door behind us.

"Who is he?" Shifu asked.  
"He is a well-known crime boss in my world, wanting to rule your world and mine." I replied in a neutral tone.  
"Why does he want to kill us?" Tigress asked.  
"You seven are a symbol of hope for this valley, it's easy to take over an area once all hope is dead."  
"How do you know him?" Mantis asked.  
"He has tried to kill me on a daily basis in my old world. I was the symbol of hope there." I said.

"What weapons does he have?" Viper asked.

"He has various fire arms, armed troops, vehicles, and frankly gets under your skin, as far as I know." I replied.

"How do we stop him?" Po asked.

"You don't." I replied, staring out of the rooms window.

An eerie silence settled in the room.

"We will, we always do." Monkey said.  
"Quite right Monkey, now everyone try and get some rest, you will need it for tomorrow."  
Shifu said.

At that, the students left my room. Except Shifu, who was looking me over.  
"What do you know about Kung Fu Matthew?" He asked.  
"Everything there is." I lied, still gazing out the window.  
"That's good, your training skills will be observed tomorrow."

Silence.  
"Matthew, I'm sorry about your friend."  
"Drop it, the past is the past." I said.  
"Spoken like a true master." He responded.  
He then left my room, unaware of what I truly felt.

* * *

**This was a short one... But the next chapter will be longer!**

**Stay awesome guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**What's up all you awesome people?! I told you guys the next chapter would be longer!**

**But I'm going to be busy this week, and will probably not post the next chapter until around next Monday.**

**So, just bare with me until then...**

**Sooo... Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

**ONE HOUR LATER  
**

_Tigress's POV_

Maybe I should apologize. I thought. NO! What am I thinking, everyone will think I'm weak!  
Ah! Why can't I go to sleep? I have a feeling I haven't felt before. Is it respect, loath, jealousy?

Maybe I was a bit harsh towards him, but that's only because he brought another villain to the valley!  
But I still can't shake this feeling.

Letting out a long sigh, I began walking towards Matthew's room.  
I'm not going to apologize; I'm going to simply say I made some bad choices.  
Lightly tapping on his door, I began to speak.

"Matthew, I know you think I was being hard on you, but you need to be that way to excel in Kung Fu.

I'm not going to apologize, I'm truthfully only saying this because I can't sleep, and…

You wouldn't understand the things I've been through.

There, I'm done. Are you happy now?"

Silence.

"Matthew, are you even listening to me?"

I opened the door, and there was no one there.

My acute hearing noticed a noise coming from outside the palace. So I began to follow it.  
I have been walking for a while when I realized, it was coming from the training hall.  
"Matthew?" I asked. I opened the door, letting the moonlight enter the room.

I could now hear the training equipment being used.

I turned my head around the corner to see him, punching the wooden warriors.

His knuckles and arms now bloody from the constant use.

_Matthew's POV_

I kept punching the wooden warriors harder and harder, sweat now dripping from my face, quickly alternating with kicks and jabs, bobbing and weaving to avoid hits.  
Breathing heavily, I gritted my teeth, and then started shouting in frustration. "Why am I so weak?!" I asked myself. "Push harder! You are worthless! You let your best friend be taken from you! You want this world to hurt you again?"  
Breathing harder, smearing blood with each blow, I was turning numb.

"Mathew?" I heard behind me.  
"What?!" I asked, my fury rising. Not stopping my onslaught of punching.  
I noticed Tigress who was standing behind me, I assume she was taken aback by the aggravated response I gave her.  
"Um, what are you doing?" She asked.  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I replied coldly.

She continued to stare at my bloody arms. "I just wanted to say that I think you made some wrong decisions today. And that-"  
"What the hell do you know?!" I shouted at her. I was punching harder and harder.

"I have to live with all the shit I thought I left behind in my world, and now you have the nerve to dump more on?!"

"But I-"

"But what, Tigress?" I interrupted.

"The only person I have seen in this world who doesn't want to kill me shows up, and you somehow manage to not only take him away from me, but to also **arrest** him just because he saved my life!" I continued.

"And just so you know. The first day I was here I killed more than twice that number of bandits, in front of a crowd with women and children in it, and I was still not arrested!'

"Matthew, if you would just listen-"

"Don't stop me now, it gets better!" I said with a mocking grin. "Not only do you let the entire ordeal slide, but your very own master invites me to stay for the night!" I finished, breaking one of the arms of the wooden warriors.

"But Matthew-"

"But what?!"

"I know what it's like Matthew! I know exactly how you feel. Alone, unwanted, put down, and treated like a monster." Her anger subsiding. "All of this has happened to me! I-"

"Then why do the same to me?" I asked, stopping to look at her. "I understand for the most part, I caused the town to fear me, I didn't show anyone respect, I lead the most intimidating villain I know to your ironically named valley, and I probably screwed us all! And now you are telling me you've had it bad?!"

Silence.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of line. I'll get back to bed." I began to walk out of the room.  
"I'm sorry." She said.  
"What?" I asked.  
"I'm sorry. I've treated you horribly the entire time you have been here, and I had no idea what you are going through." She finished.  
"Now please, answer my question. What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to master Kung Fu in one night.

"That's not possible."

"I have to at least try.

I've read all the scrolls, and I've added my street fighting skills to some moves."

"Then prove it." She said.  
"What?"  
"Fight me, and then we will see if what you say is true." She answered.  
"Fine. But be warned, I won't go easy on you just because you're a gi-"

I was knocked to the ground. "What were you saying?" She said teasingly.  
I then performed a leg sweep, sending her to the ground as well.  
"Don't get overconfident." I replied.  
We then both got up, and then began to spar.

**4 HOURS LATER**

"Thank you Master Tigress, I'm sure these new moves will come in handy." I said, wiping the sweat from my brow.  
"It was no trouble, in fact, I enjoyed it." She replied.  
We shared warm glances, and then realized we were both immensely tired.  
"We should probably call it a night, Master Shifu will be furious of we are not in our rooms." She stated.  
"Right, thank you again."

We walked out of the training hall, she slightly ahead of me, when I was grabbed from behind.  
I tried to scream, but the sound was muffled as a hand was slapped over my mouth.

I watched in horror as Tigress kept walking back to the sleeping quarters, unaware I was no longer behind her.

"Shut up, it's me." Mason whispered in my ear.  
"Mason? How the hell did you get here?" I asked, turning around. "How did you escape the prison?"

"Technically, I didn't make it to the prison. We were about halfway there, when the cart was jumped by bandits.

They kicked me out, threw out the drivers bodies, and stole the cart.

Then I used my switchblade, which I found in a guards pocket, to undo the cuffs." He answered.

He then looked at the ground, trying not to cry.

"You're going to tell the others I'm here, aren't you?" His voice hitched.  
"No, you're not going to be arrested again. I'll hide you." I assured. "You've been through too much to be taken away. It's going to be okay."  
He then hugged me. For the first time in his life, he truly felt like an outcast.  
"It's becoming dawn." I said, breaking the embrace. "We need to hurry."

We sneaked into the kitchen, knowing the others wouldn't be eating breakfast yet.  
"Let's see, where can you hide?" I asked myself. We then heard the most terrifying sound I've heard in the valley, the morning gong.

* * *

**Sooo? Little suspense in this chappie huh?**

**Keeping you on your toes?**

**Anyway. **

**I'll see all you awesome people next week!**

**Later!**


	8. Chapter 8

**What's up people? I hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far! I know I am!**

**And I know I said I'll wait until next Monday to post, but I feel like I need to at least mention Matthew's back story.**

**Otherwise it seems like your left in the dark as to why he is angry at the world.**

**Sooo. make sure to review and enjoy.**

* * *

We could hear Shifu and the others getting their greetings out of the way, next they would head to the kitchen.  
"Mason, hide in the cupboard. They never use it." I instructed.  
With that, he quickly crammed himself into the cupboard closest to the ground.

I then quickly slammed the doors.

As my mind was running at over thousand miles an hour, it caught a snag; my arms were still coated in blood.

What will the others think when I show up with bloody arms?

I could hear the Masters' footsteps approaching, so I quickly ran to the sink and tried to rinse off my hands.  
I just finished scraping off the rest of the dried blood off my fingernails when the masters entered.

"Matthew, why weren't you in your room?" Shifu asked.  
"I thought if I was going to show you I was disciplined, like all great masters should be, I would be the first to rise." I replied, masking the truth.  
"Well alright then." Shifu said, dropping the subject.

"How about we get breakfast started!" Po stated, putting as much enthusiasm as possible into his sentence.

While Po was cooking, I noticed my arms were starting to form fairly noticeable bruises on them.  
I tried to hide this by keeping my arms under the table at all times.

"So Matthew." Crane began. "Tell us about yourself."  
"Well there is not much to tell." I said, swallowing.

"I had it rough, I toughened up, and was never hurt again." I replied.

"Come on, more details!" Viper pleaded.

"Fine. You asked for it." I let out a sigh.

"I was taken for either a target or a freak in my old world.

The only time that anyone said anything to me was when they needed money." I continued on.

"I could see the sense in that though. We were a moderately wealthy family, and didn't understand the hardships that most of my peers have.

Yet, the only truly notable person was Richard Fossy. For some reason he hated me with an absolute passion.

He would intentionally gather a crowd of onlookers, saying there was a fight going on, or some other mindless drabble.

Afterwards, with his friends joining him, they would beat the shit out of me."  
I noticed as all of the masters were now staring at me with rapt attention.

"This happened daily, so I began to grow accustom to it.  
He would convince my friends to loathe me, and those who would not listen to him would be forced to never talk to me again.

The reason being the threat of being jumped for the rest of high school.

He tried to break me, to make it so I would never be around those who cared for me again.  
He would constantly chant "freak" wherever I was present.

Everyone, even my past friends, would join him.

I was the main outlet for them, the outcast, the monster."  
I noticed Tigress's eyes flicker at the sound of "monster".  
"What did you do?" Crane asked, implying me to continue.

"I got even.

One day when he was walking to school with his friends, I picked up a rock,"

I was simulating the events for the masters.

"I called his name, and I threw it as hard as I could at his head.  
He immediately crumpled to the ground, being knocked unconscious.

His friends immediately sprinted after me, but I held my ground.  
All five of them surrounded me, and began to brutally beat me to the ground.  
Of course it hurt, but not nearly as much as the first time.

I had become numb to the consistent beatings.

After that day he never bothered me again, and even tried to become an acquaintance of mine.

But every time I declined, because above everything else, the name "freak" still echoed in my head."  
I finished, staring at my plate.

"Well, that's my back story Viper. I hope that was enough detail for you."

She stayed silent.

"I still can't manage to remember how I got into your dimension though. Something about a tear... I don't know..."

"Well then." Viper said, breaking the silence.

"What about your friends? There are surly some people who would be around you."

"Your right, I met most of them after the beatings stopped.

Although truthfully, I feel sorry for my friends. I understand I say I know how they feel, and that it gets better, but it doesn't for them.

Take my friend (I choked on the name) Mason, for example.

* * *

**Well there you have it, that's Matthew's back story. I hope it would at least give you peace of mind for a while.**

**Also, next up is Mason's back story! Hope it'll be fulfilling!**

**'Till next time people. **

**Stay awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally! I have time to post yet another entry of my story!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

I continued on.

"Mason had a very wealthy family, who loved him, and praised him for his good deeds.

But the love ran out when his older sister started to aspire.

She was the "daddy's little girl", the straight 'A' student, and the one destined for greatness.

And all this time Mason was in the shadows, waiting for his family to even take notice of the things he's done.

His parents would ask him to be more like his sister, to be more charismatic, to make great grades, to make something of himself, and he couldn't take it.

He chose to change his look, and his attitude.

He made sure no one would ever get close to him.

Life couldn't hurt him anymore than it already has."

Mason was now listening intently through the cupboards.

Silence filled the room.

"Well, thank you for the breakfast Po." I said, rising from the table.

"I'll start my training now, Master Shifu."

"Wait." I heard Tigress say.  
"Save it Tigress. Not even you would understand." With that, I left the room.

"I'm going to talk to him." Po announced, leaving the room as well.

"Smooth, Viper." Mantis said.

Everyone shot him daggers.

"What?"

**TRAINING HALL**

"Uh, Matthew?" I head behind me.  
"What?" Not even turning around.  
"You Ok?"  
"Yeah, I just wish I had kept my mouth shut."  
We then sat in silence.

"Po?" I asked.  
"Yeah?"

"How did you deal with your anger before you became the dragon warrior?"

"Well, I kept thinking that Shifu could change me into someone else.

To make me into a person who the Valley would be proud to know.

I was sort of right, I guess."

"Well I obviously can't become someone else, because you already know me well enough." I said, gesturing back to the kitchen.  
"Maybe you can try inner peace." He suggested.  
"How do I do that?" I asked  
"I'll teach you, we'll start tomorrow at dawn."  
"You would never get up at dawn." I said with a smirk.

"Yeah, true. How about after lunch?"  
"Sure thing." I agreed.  
We shared a smile, and noticed the others enter the room, ready to observe my Kung Fu skills.

"Matthew, let's begin." Master Shifu said.

"Yes Master." I replied, bowing.

**TONG FO'S LAYER**

Tong Fo was looking around his lair, thinking of ways to entertain himself.

We could invade the Valley of Peace again_._ He thought to himself.

"Sir." A guard said from the open doorway, breaking his train of thought.

"We found a man sneaking around your lair."

Two other guards were leading the intruder in, revealing a strange creature.

He was thrown at Tong Fo's feet, and then restrained by a guard.  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
He said nothing.

"Is your kind so ignorant? I asked you a question."

The man lifted his head, staring Tong Fo straight in the eyes.  
"I am the undertaker." He replied.

At this Tong Fo laughed. "You are in no position to suggest such ridiculous claims."

He chuckled while taking a spear from a guard. He then began to circle around the intruder, prodding him with the spear.  
"Tell me, why were you sneaking around my lair?" He said smiling.

Silence.

Tong Fo's smile faded. He grabbed his hair and yanked hard, hovering the spear right next to his exposed neck.

"What were you doing here?" He asked harshly.  
He stayed silent, then began to chuckle.

"Playing my part as bait." The intruder replied, chuckling to himself.

The man quickly threw the guard holding him over his shoulder, and pulled out his desert eagle.

Before Tong Fo could realize what was happening, he was struck on the head with Alex's pistol. (Spoiler! The "Intruder" is Alex.)

Tong Fo collected his thoughts and stood up. His ears were met with the sound of gunfire, and the sight of a spear to his neck.  
"There is no need for that." The man said, gesturing one of his men to lower his weapon.

"Well, as long as our friend here listens to reason." Gesturing to Tong Fo.  
Tong Fo looked at his surroundings, and found all his guards were either dead or dying.

"By the way, your guards are an incredible nuisance.

The only way I was able to be in your presence was as a hostage." Alex said.

"Also, you really should think of getting handcuffs to restrain your intruders, it's only common sense."

"Who are you?" Tong Fo asked.  
"My name is Alex." He replied, walking to Tong Fo.

Tong Fo was then grabbed from behind by two of Alex's troops.

Alex lifted his desert eagle, and shot it at the celling.  
He then pressed the burning barrel into Tong Fo's skull.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, smiling.

"I've heard you have a great deal of men at your disposal."

"I have no such thing, only my personal guard." Tong Fo lied, staring at the ground.

"Well I assume there is no need for you then, is there?" Alex said, pressing the gun harder into his temple.

Tong Fo noticed his intent, and stopped the charade.

"Alright! I have men, just don't kill me." He said, shaking.

Alex looked him straight in the eyes.  
"I need them all." He said. "Now."

"I'll give them to you, I just need to write them a letter." He replied.

Tong Fo walked over to a desk, pulling a document from the drawer.

Alex didn't notice a guard on the ground behind him was still alive.

Heavily bleeding, the guard crawled over to Alex's legs.

He picked up a knife from the floor, and firmly planted it into Alex's heel.  
He let out a scream in pain, and Tong Fo took this opportunity to escape through the open door.

He was about three feet from the door when his was shot in the leg, and fell to the ground in excruciating pain.

Then hearing a second gunshot, his savior had been killed.  
"Well we can't have that, now can we?" Alex said, holstering his smoking gun.

"If you had stayed put, you would have been killed quickly."

"What are you going to do?" Tong Fo asked.

"Well first, I will squeeze your skull until your gigantic eyes burst out."

He said with an evil grin, lifting him off the ground by his neck.

"Then I will kill the furious five, burn the jade palace to the ground, and personally delivering my rival Matthew, to Hell."

"Then why take my men? You have your own."  
"Well obviously I can't destroy the Valley of Peace with only my men and Gongmen city's army."

Tong Fo was about to lash out, when his body was slammed onto the table.

Alex handed him a pen.

"Now write." He commanded.  
Tong Fo complied.

* * *

**Yeah! Alex finally shows up again in the story!**

**What will happen next?**

**...I'll get back to you guys on that...**

**Have an awesome weekend!**


	10. Chapter 10

**What's up awesome people?!**

**I know this is a short post, but I apologize for that. I'm kinda busy with typing up new entries for my other story, "Undead Redemption".**

**Beside the point...Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER**

I've actually started to tolerate staying at the Jade Palace.

I have finally mastered the basics of Kung Fu, Master Tigress has seemed less pessimistic and angry,

I had finally achieved inner peace through Po's help, and now Mason tolerates hiding in the iron-wood woods nearby.

I still haven't told anyone he's here.

It is also concerning how both Mason and Alex appeared here in the same week.

How did they get here? Are there more humans in the valley?

I probably have no way of knowing, but it's nice to acknowledge it.

Anyway, it was another typical day at the palace.  
The masters and I were all in the training hall, using our various equipment.

As usual Shifu was yelling at everyone, and Po is still, well Po, clumsily destroying things on a daily basis. You got to love that panda.

I was snapped out of thought by a knock on the door.  
"Master Shifu?" Zeng asked curiously.  
Shifu opened the door, allowing the avian entrance.  
"Good morning Zeng, what news is there?"  
"A letter has arrived for the Jade Palace." He replied, handing it to Shifu, and then exiting.

"Read it aloud please." Shifu said, handing the leter to Po.

_I heed a word of warning to the Masters in the palace._

_Apprehend Matthew, and have him bound and beaten for my arrival. _

_Should I arrive with all of his bones still intact, I will burn your pathetic village to the ground._

_I shall arrive with my army within two months._

_I trust you will do what's right._

_-Sincerely, Alex Murr._

"It's obviously a trick." Viper said, passing the letter to her friends.

"Of course it is. But what else has been going for us nowadays?" Crane inclined.

"None of you are actually thinking of doing it, are you?" Monkey asked, with a judgmental look on his face.

"Of course not." Tigress said in a stern tone, ridding the idea from the conversation.

"Well, what do we do?" Mantis asked.

"We train," I replied. "Longer and harder than before."

"Matthew is right, we need to be ready." Monkey agreed.

"I second that." Master Shifu said.

"There is no sense in wasting the little time we have left, let's begin." He finished, gesturing towards the training equipment.

* * *

**Suspense much? Not really... Whatever.**

**Anyway, I have to stop for now. Tigress is in my room, and she looks pissed at me...**

**(Turns to her)**

**"What are you gonna do kitty? Bring it!"**

**(smashes head in keybokanlja;hjkfkja;slkh;jkhsalkv;nlkalslkjlsdkajvnlkdjsabgjk;lkaj'kjalekmeraonji)**


	11. Chapter 11

**What's up? New update, that's what's up!**

**Also, I would like to thank the following people for supporting my story so far; Wra1thRid3r, LizzyThePanda, SamAxe, Animation Universe 2005, and finally, THELEGOMack.**

**All of you guys are awesome! And once again, thanks for supporting my story.**

**Anyway... Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

We trained hard for the upcoming battle with Alex. The schedule was wake up, train, sleep, and repeat.

It was the end of another hard day, and we began walking back to our rooms.

"Ow! My arms!" Po complained.  
"Sleep! I need sleep!" Mantis stated, falling on the floor of his room.  
"We are all in pain, okay, so can we not complain about it please?" Viper said, obviously in a bad mood.

I didn't feel like talking, so I just walked into my room, and shut the door.  
"How about you Matthew, how are you holding up?" Crane asked through the door.  
"It's just another day at the palace." I replied, and then sat on my bed.  
Of course my body was hurting all over, I just didn't think complaining about it would make it any better.

I noticed one by one, the lights in the Maters' rooms were being blown out. I blew mine out also, but didn't sleep.

I couldn't sleep.

For some reason the darkness was comforting, and seeing as there was nothing else to do, I started rummaging through my backpack.

"What else is in here?" I asked myself.  
I realized I haven't checked all of the contents of my backpack since the day before school, which felt like a long time ago.  
Using the moonlight shining through my window to see,

I found my unfinished algebra homework, some pencils, a second pair of headphones, and an unfinished poem for English.

Great. I thought, stuffing the contents into my jean pocket. None of this can help us defeat Alex.

I began to hear Po snore again, like he does every night. Trying to drown out the noise, I pulled out my iPhone.  
I put on my headphones and started to listen to "Imaginary" by Evanescence. (More product placement!)

I started to think of how I got into this world, but I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I finally laid down, and put my feet up.  
I just couldn't relax. I closed my eyes, but I just went from looking at a dark room, to looking at plain darkness.

I let out a sigh, and pulled out a throwing knife I have for safe keeping, from under my pillow.  
I started screwing around, flipping it from one hand to the other. When I noticed something wasn't right.  
I didn't know if I was actually on to something or not, so I decided to clarify if Tigress felt the same way. I began to rise off the bed/

"No, don't bother her. Just try and sleep." I told myself. Listening to my own advice, I went back to my first position, and closed my eyes.  
By now the song shuffled to "Animal" by Neon Trees, so I took off the headphones.

Listening to the sounds of the Valley and the sight of the night stars, I finally started to relax. I shoved my throwing knife back under my pillow.

I was about to drift off, when my eyes shot open. Po wasn't snoring anymore.  
I pulled out my pocket knife again, and started walking towards Po's room. I opened the door and realized he wasn't in his room.

To think, I thought I'd have heard him if he left.  
I let out a sigh. He must have gone for a midnight snack.

I can't believe I was so paranoid.

I thought, going back to my bed, setting the throwing knife under the pillow once again.

I went back to lying down again, but I still couldn't sleep.

"Maybe some water will calm my nerves." I said to myself, rising off the bed.

I was walking through the hallway outside the kitchen, when the aroma of Po's noodles filled my nose.

"Hey Po, can I have so-"  
I was cut off when I was put into a chokehold!

I was continually elbowing the person who was strangling me, but he kept at it.

I started to see spots in my eyes, and I could hear my heart pulsing in my ears.  
I began to stomp on the ground, trying to make as much noise as possible.

But I was pulled off my feet, only to be held up by his forearm.

My pencil! I thought. I pulled it out of my pocket, and jammed the tip into the assailant's stomach.  
He yelped in pain, and allowed me to drop to the ground. I gasped and began to cough.

"P-"! I shouted, before I was pinned to the ground, the man's hands around my throat.

"Hello?" Po asked. "Is someone there?"  
The man pinned my arms to the ground using his knees, and continued to press harder on my windpipe.

"Okay, if someone's there come on out." Po said, but there was no response.

I kept trying to free my arms. My vision began to fade. I slowly started closing my eyes.

"Anyone?" Po asked again. He stepped outside the kitchen.  
I finally got a hand free, and punched the man in the face. He let go. "PO HELP!" I shouted in a raspy voice, gasping for air.

"Huh? HEY!" Po shouted, knocking the man off me. The noise woke up the other masters.  
I sat up, and began to cough.  
I finally got a good look at the attacker, but there isn't much to say about him. He had black fur, and a mask to top off the outfit.

The five masters burst through their room doors, only to hear the spar in the hallway.

Of course the man was fighting a Kung Fu master and a teen from another dimension, but he was winning.

He was throwing punches and kicks at each of us, but I didn't turn on the "Fight for my life mode" until he pulled out a knife.

The first two jabs were aimed directly at me, specifically my stomach and throat.

He only hit me when he began slashing at my face, leaving a large gash on my cheek.

Then Po, being helpful as he is, grabbed the man's fist, only to be kicked into a wall.

The four other masters had just entered the hallway, when I tried to choke out the attacker with my headphones.

Of course the attacker used his knife to cut them, but he was distracted long enough for me to knock the knife out of his hands.

He continued to try and bash my face in, but I was ready.

I finally managed to take hold of one of his fists, and flip him onto the ground.

I punched him in the face, knocking him out, and removed his mask. It's just another wolf.

"He must have been one of Alex's hired help." I said aloud.

"Someone call the guards to take him to prison." I stated, lightly touching the bleeding gash in my cheek.

The rest of the masters stared at me, stunned. "Are you okay Matthew?" Mantis asked.  
I looked at him, a bit annoyed.  
"Didn't you hear me? This guy needs to be taken to prison." I repeated, now aggravated with the avian.

Finally, Crane began to head to the Valley to get the guards.

"Matthew, you were almost killed. He's just showing some concern for you." Po said.  
"I don't need his sympathy okay? I'm better off on my own." I replied, my anger rising a bit.

"Why was the intruder only targeting you? Po was fighting him too." Viper said.  
"Maybe Alex thought it would be easier to kill me before he arrived, instead of trusting all of you to have me bound and beaten for him."

"Well why didn't he just slit your throat." Mantis said, looking at the knife on the floor.

Everyone gave him judgmental looks.

"I'm just saying, that's what I would have done."

Everyone else turned their attention back to me, trying to ignore Mantis.

"Probably because Alex wanted me to feel a bit of hope before I die.

I'm glad it didn't work but, that's still unsettling." I replied, looking at the ground.

"Ok. You know what, I'm tired of all this." Tigress stated.

"You keep shutting the world out and saying things to make us feel sympathy for you, well I'm tired of it all!"

"Come on Tigress," Po interrupted. Can't you give him-"  
"NO PO! I can't! " She interrupted "And the reason why is because if I do, he will slide right back into being the cocky and misunderstood little kid we first knew him as."

Tigress finished, glaring at me through the darkness.

Crane and the guards had just arrived when I began to reply.

"You know Tigress, I find it funny that most of what you said relates to your days at the Bao Gu Orphanage." I replied, trying not to sound upset.

Tigress lunged at me, pinning me to the ground.

"How do you know that name?!" She shouted in my ear, twisting my arm farther than it should go.

The others went to get master Shifu, while the guards stopped observing the spectacle, and took the unconscious attacker out of the room.

* * *

**Wow, that was...unexpected? I think that's a good word to use...**

**Whatever...Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yeah! Another chapter!**

**I don't know what else to say besides... LET'S GET IT STARTED!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

"How do you know that name?! How do you know I was there?!" She commanded.

"It wasn't hard, I simply looked through the scrolls in Shifu's room.  
I started skimming through them, and then I realized, I wasn't the only one to experience the worst the world has to offer." I continued on.

"No one wanting to be around you, being called a monster, being alienated, and turning into the little kid who would sit in her dark room, alone, with no one to play with.

You had to fend for yourself, and grow up fast. You had to shut out the world, so it couldn't hurt you anymore."

I adjusted myself a bit as she loosened her grip.

"But then one day, Shifu found you, and treated you like a guest, but only as such.

The reason being Ti Lung was still in his heart.

The very thing Shifu loved turned on him, and all his compassion was taken away, when Ti Lung was put in prison.

So you trained, you went above and beyond everyone's expectations.

You daily punched the iron wood trees in the back of the palace, finally becoming numb, physically and mentally.  
You became the clear option for the status of dragon warrior, to show everyone they were wrong to misjudge you so severely.

To show Master Shifu, the only person you knew who cared about you, that you would make him proud.

But it all came crashing down when Po, the fat, clumsy panda, was chosen.

And so, to this day you are still afraid, knowing you are both loved and feared by your Kung Fu abilities.

The wall you have been building up around your heart has been well kept, because of your life's constant torment.

But in the back of your mind you know, someday someone will find a way to take that wall apart, brick by brick, until you are vulnerable once again."

"So tell me Tigress, what did I miss?"

I finished, letting out a heavy sigh.  
"Now will you get off me, please?"

Tigress finally took her knee from my back, which allowed me to sit up.

"And look I'm sorry I yelled at you befo-" I was cut off when Tigress hugged me, in front of the six shocked masters.

"Tigress please, let me go." I said, breaking the awkward silence.  
After a few more moments, she finally broke the hug.

"Matthew, what did you do to her?" Mantis asked, still recovering from shock.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean she hugged you, she has never hugged ANYONE!" He stammered, mouth agape.  
"Well, besides Po." Viper interrupted.  
"Yeah, besides Po." Mantis agreed, glancing towards Po.

"Look, can we please just drop it? It's not a big deal." I asked, heading back to my room.

"Besides, we should all get some sleep. We're going to need it for training tomorrow." I finished, closing the door to my room.

Everyone's eyes turned towards Tigress. "I agree." She said, heading to her room as well.  
The other masters complied, and slowly headed back to their own rooms.

*GONG*

"Good morning master." We all said in unison.

"Good morning students. I trust you all slept well?" He asked, glaring at me specifically.

I just shrugged it off, wondering why he did that.  
"We will begin training immediately, Master."

I replied bowing, hoping that would make up for whatever reason he was annoyed at me.

"Good, let us all head to the training hall."  
I started walking off.  
"Except for you Mathew, I need to talk to you."

I expected a gasp from all of them, but only Mantis reacted, giving me the "your dead" gesture.

They then all headed to the training hall.

I turned back to Master Shifu.

"Did I do something to upset you master?" I asked, hoping he was going to say I forgot to clean the training hall or something.

"Yes Matthew, you did.

You see, I consider Tigress my daughter and I want her to stay happy and fulfilled her whole life.

You will have no relations of any kind with her. Do you understand?" He instructed, giving me a warning look.

"I do master." I replied bowing. "Now, shall we train? I gestured with my arm to the vacant hallway.

"We shall." Master Shifu replied, leading the way.

When we finally got to the training hall, Master Shifu separated us into sparing partners.

Crane & Monkey

Viper & Mantis

Tigress & Myself

And finally, Po & Shifu.

The only thing that was different today from yesterday is that I had Viper as a partner.

All I had to do was grab her by the head and tail, and I would win.  
But Tigress was a different story.

We all shifted into our Kung Fu stances, and waited for Shifu to give the go-ahead.  
"Begin." He said.

We heard a slow clap emanating from the training Hall's doors.  
"Master Shifu, I congratulate you for keeping our new throne-room in top condition."

We turned around to see the Wu Sisters.

* * *

**OOOhhh! The Wu Sisters in the house!**

**Where will this go next, you ask?**

**I don't know, I make it up as I go...**

**I'm just kidding, I know what I'm doing!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Waaazzzzup?**

**...That was a weird intro, huh?**

**Anyway...Here's another chapter!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

"That's impossible, you were in an inescapable prison!" Shifu protested.

Po was muttering.  
"Um, you okay big guy?" I asked him.

"The Wu sisters are the most feared and notorious villains who ever terrorized China." Po replied.

"The only warriors ever known to stop then were Masters Ox, Croc, and Rhino.  
But besides that, this is SO AWESOME!" He finished, jumping up and down.

"It's impossible unless you are able to seduce a guard, Shifu." The left sister finished. "It was fairly easy to do as well."

"Guarding a prison is a boring job." I said. "They could be seduced by anything with boobs and a 'Glory hole.'"

"And just who are you?" The sister on the right asked, clearly offended by my comment.

"I'm Matthew, and it's nice to finally meet a villain who won't try to kill me specifically."

"What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a thing." The left sister said.

"What are you anyway? A furless monkey?"

"Uh Matthew, maybe you should lay off a bit." Crane suggested.

"No it's cool Crane. I just wanted to tell the little kitties here, that they will be killed off by Alex in a second. After all, he hates competition."

"I grow tired of this discussion girls. Why not just show Matthew we are more than capable to defeat "Alex"."  
At this, they connected their tails together, and started to spin.

"Students, remember what I taught you." Shifu said, entering his Kung Fu stance.  
The rest of his students did the same, as the spinning increased in speed.

I noticed looks of terror on the Masters' faces as the three feline continued to spin.

"Oh please." I said to myself, rolling my eyes.  
I pulled out a throwing knife from my back pocket, and threw it at the spinning mass, but it bounced off, and stuck into a pillar beside me.

"Well, this might be harder than I thought."

The Wu sisters quickly spun towards all of us at blinding speed. We managed to dodge the first attack, but no such luck with the second.

We were sent flying in all directions, smashing into different training equipment.

"You said these three were defeated before right?" I asked Po, who was beside me rubbing his head.

"Yeah, but we need masters Ox, Croc, and Rhino."

"Or a more traditional approach" I added.  
I quickly sprinted to The Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion, and tries to get the sisters attention.

"Hey furballs! Your target of interest is right here! Come and get me!" I shouted at them.  
I could tell this got their attention, because the spinning mass of angry kitties came shooting at me.

Closer.  
They now gained more speed, and were starting to hiss at me.  
Closer.  
They were right on top of me.  
Now.  
I quickly pulled the lever to get the Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion moving.  
One of the clubs hit the link between them, sending all three of the felines flying in all different directions.

"Bulls eye!" I shouted, pumping my fists in the air.

The Wu Sisters sat up and tried to stop their heads from spinning.

When their vision cleared, all three were faced with a member of the Furious Five.  
Seeing as they were apart, and were utterly useless without all three of them being connected, they surrendered.

Being thrown into separate carts, they were each hauled off to Chorh-Gom prison.  
I watched as they headed over the horizon, and then turned back to the training hall.

"Well it seems that you have yet again saved the valley Matthew." Shifu stated.  
"Yeah, maybe I'll give you guys a run for your money." I said jokingly.

Not even a chuckle.

"I'm kidding, chill out people. Jeez." I suggested, as I took my Kung Fu stance.  
Everyone was looking at me as if I were crazy.  
"Uh, we have a spar to finish Tigress." I said, gesturing for her come forward.

* * *

**Uh oh, now the Wu sisters know about Alex too. Will there be competition?**

**Anyway... Thanks for reading, and stay awesome!**

**Also, check out 'KOMOROV' by THELEGOMack. it is a Half-Life fanfic, which has potential. it just needs some views...**

**Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wooo! Another chapter!**

**Now it's time to thank all of you amazing people who supported this story so far...**

**Wra1thRid3r **

**LizzyThePanda**

**SamAxe**

**Animation Universe 2005 **

**THELEGOMack**

**Dragon Sister Kelsi**

**Tigress16**

**The Master Of Stories**

**and finally, mad eyes love.**

**Thank all of you for supporting me!**

**And on with the show!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

"If you say so." Tigress replied, walking over to me.

I looked her over, and then turned to Shifu.

"Whenever you are ready Master Shifu." I said, still facing Tigress.

He stared at us for a moment, and then organized his thoughts.

"Of course, begin." He said.

I started with a leg sweep, which she easily evaded, and then kicked me in the chest, sending me into the adjacent wall.

I shook it off, and jumped back to her, trying to land a punch.

She simply grabbed my fist, and threw me to the ground.

I stood back up, then I remembered; she taught me most of my moves, of course she can block them!

I shook my head bitterly, and this time tried to kick her chest.

And yet again, she grabbed my foot, and sent me into a spin cycle to the ground.

I got up once again, and noticed the cocky smile on her face.

"You won't be smiling for long." I said, as I pulled out my headphones.

"What are you doing?" Master Shifu asked, clearly curious rather than annoyed.

"Are there any rules in a sparring match?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Well, technically no." He sighed. "Carry on."

"With pleasure."

Tigress took this opportune moment to kick me in the chest, sending me feet away from her.

"What are you going to do with those?" She asked, chuckling a bit.

I didn't respond, but wrapped my headphones around her leg, and tripping her.

I got up, and looked at her on the ground. "What were you saying?"

She stared at me in annoyance, and then got up herself.

"Come on, get on with it!" Mantis yelled, as everyone around him glared at him.

He sunk back.

"Sorry." He said, looking to the ground.

"I will." I said, as Tigress tried to punch me in the chest.

This time I was ready for it, and tied her fists together with the headphones.

She easily slipped out of them, and performed a roundhouse kick.

I ducked just in time for her foot to collide with a nearby pillar.

My mind was racing.

Come on think! What skills do you know that can help you here?

I pondered this as Tigress sent a fury at punches at me, trying to make each count.

Dodgeball! I screamed in my head, bobbing and weaving to avoid her punches.

She then jumped in the air, as I readied for the attack.

Dive!

I immediately dove out of the way, dodging her fist that collided with the floor.

She turned back to me, and tried to punch my face.

Catch!

I quickly caught her oncoming fist.

Finisher.

I then twisted her fist, sending her into the crouching position, before I kicked her hard in the chest, sending her flying to the wall nearby.

"Wow. This seems expensive." Monkey said, looking at the broken wall.

Tigress emerged from the wall, and dusted herself off.  
I bowed to her, as she did to me.

Master Shifu started clapping. "Excellent work, both of you." Now, who is next?"

I looked back at Tigress when Crane and Monkey took their stances.  
It seemed like she was smiling.  
Smiling? Why would she be smiling? She just lost a sparring match!

I thought about it for a second, and then I finally concluded that I would probably never understand why.

Girls are confusing like that.

When we finished sparring, I walked over to Po. "Can I talk to you?" I asked, pulling him to the side.

"Uh, sure." He followed, as if he had a choice.  
I guided him within the mesh of Wooden Warriors, and finally spoke.

"Do you know what is going on with Tigress?" I asked in a hushed tone.  
"What do you mean? She seems normal to me." Po objected, also whispering

"She smiled at me! When has she ever smiled at anyone?" I asked.

"Wow. I don't ever remember her smiling in general. Maybe there is something wrong with her."

I poked my head above the level of the wooden warriors, seeing as Tigress headed past us, and onto the Seven Clubs of Instant Oblivion.

_Tigress POV_

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I thought, maintaining my balance.

Why did I smile at him? Why even hint anything?

"Psst! Tigress!" I glanced away for a second to see Viper.

"Come here!"

I jumped off of the Seven clubs of Instant Oblivion, and headed over for her.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you like Matthew?"

I was shocked by the question.

"Do I…NO! Of course not! Why would you even think that?" I asked, trying to cover my blush.

She gave me a sleigh smile. "You are a terrible liar."

"Wha-um, I'm not-…fine. how could you tell?"

"I saw that quick smile you gave him, it was so cute!" She said, giggling a bit.

"Um…" I sighed. "Okay, you caught me. But what can I do? What if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh trust me, he likes you. And okay, I'll help you. I know you are a bit out of practice."

I gave her a look.

"Well it's true!' She said in her defense.

"Just tell me what I need to do?" I asked her.

"Show him that you like him. Maybe tonight."

"Will that work?"

"Maybe, it's worth a shot."

"Alright, I hope you are right."

_Normal POV_

After training we all headed to the kitchen for dinner, expecting Po's phenomenal signature soup.

Maybe topped off with a side of dumplings.

Trying to pass the time, the masters trued to spark conversation with each other.

I wasn't exactly enthralled to join them. I just wanted to go back to my room and rest.

I tried to not think about resting, since last night I was assaulted and almost killed.

So instead, I decided to have some time for myself. So I put on my headphones, and cranked up the music.

While listening to 'Love the Way You Lie' (Product Placement!) I started to remember fragments of the events before my arrival.  
I took a knife resting on the table into my hands, concentrating on the smooth, cool texture.  
I kept my eyes shut, counting my breaths, entering a trancelike state, and tried to clearly see my memories.

**FLASHBACK**

I remember bright red lips mouthing out, "Stay strong."

I could tell the person was very agitated, as her lower lip was curling, almost as if the woman were sobbing...  
Woman, I remember a girl there... Yes, I'm positive she was present. Why was she telling me that?

Dammit, I wish I could at least remember a name.

"Goodbye Matthew." I remembered Alex saying that very definite remark.

"Lexi, say goodbye to you beloved." Alex was continuing on when he...

LEXI! Lexi! She was the one with the red lips!

I slowly tightened my grip on the knife's edge, cutting my palm slightly.

Lexi, Lexi, I KNEW HER! Who was she? Why was she with me?  
Ah! Dammit! Why is it so hard to remember?!

I clearly remember a gunshot, which was somehow considerably memorable.

Something.

A dark evil chuckle,

a tear, or a gap of some kind,

and pain, so much pain.

Why does it have to be so hazy?

"You will lose all you hold dear."

**END OF FLASHBACK**

I was jolted back to reality, as I noticed the other masters were still mingling with their own conversations.

I looked down, and noticed my palm was now bleeding from clutching the knife so severely.

I wiped the blood from the knife's edge on my napkin, and set it back on the table.

While concealing my hand under the table.  
"Matthew," Viper said, getting my attention. "Are you alright? You look pale."

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."  
I said, as I put pressure on the wound.

"Order up." Po announced as he set our bowls in front of us.

All the other masters were enjoying their soup, but I was still pondering who "Lexi" was.  
"I'm not very hungry, but thank you anyway Po." I announced, rising from the table.

I decided to get some rest, maybe I could manage to think clearly.

I walked into my room, and closed the door behind me.

I slumped onto my bed, and held my head.

"Why can't I remember?" I asked myself, putting my head onto the pillow.

I let out a heavy sigh, and started to close my eyes.

…

I could hear laughing, children playing.

I felt at peace, I felt at home.

I could hear names echoing in my head; Alex, Mason, Lexi.

Lexi…

Lexi…

Lexi.

Lexi! She was my girlfriend!

Why didn't I remember her? She was my hope, my drive, my light!

I heard laughing from all around me, and the area turned dark and foreboding.

I turned around to see Lexi, her back to me.

"Lexi!" I shouted, running to her.

She turned around, and stared at me.

"You will lose all you hold dear." She said, and walked towards me.

"What? No."

"You will lose all you hold dear." She repeated again, as two more copies of her materialized beside her.

"No! Lexi please!'

"You will lose all you hold dear." They said to me, circling around me.

"Nooo!" I was jolted awake in a cold sweat, panting heavily.

I sat up, and looked around.

When I was fully contempt that there was nothing out of the ordinary, I went back to sleep.

Or _tried_ to sleep, that is.

Lexis face kept running through my mind over and over again.

As if it wanted me to sleep.

I shook the images from my head, and sighed.

I relaxed a bit and leaned back on my bed. I started to close my eyes, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Matthew, it's Tigress. I need to talk to you."

* * *

**Oh snap! Tigress up in here!**

**...**

**Anyway... Make sure to review, and have an awesome day!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yeah! Another chapter! **

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

"Sure, come on in." I replied, sitting up on my bed.

She opened the door and walked in.

"What do you need to talk about?" I asked, getting up to close the door.

"Well, I wanted to say thank you for saving us.

You are a valuable asset to the group." She said, keeping her hands behind her back.

"You know Tigress, you can drop the polite posture. I don't really mind."

She did so. Letting her arms fall to her sides.

I walked back to my bed, and sat down on its edge.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" I asked, pulling out my iPhone to relax.

"Um…yes." She said, staying stationary.

I unraveled my headphones, and then looked at her.

"Well, thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome." She said, sitting beside me on the bed.

I looked at her wearily.

"Uh, okay. That's great Tigress, can I please be left in peace?" I asked, scooting to the front of the bed.

She stared intently at my iPhone. "What _is _that?" She said, changing the conversation.

"This?" I asked, holding up my phone.

"Yes, what does it do?" She asked, as I placed the unlocked phone into her hands.

"A lot of things. It can take your picture, you can talk to others, and you can listen to music."

"A 'picture'? Is that like a painting?" She asked, turning the phone in her hands.

"Sort of, but you don't need paint." I said, taking the phone from her. "I'll show you."

I went to the camera app, and pointed the phone at her.

"Smile."

She gave me an annoyed look.

"Okay, um. Just keep that neutral look on your face then."

I took the picture, and went to my photo gallery.

"See, there you are." I said, showing her the picture.

She stared at it with wonder. "That's fascinating, are there others on your…um."

"Phone? Yes." I answered for her, and scrolled through the photos.

She scooted closer to me, and looked curiously at the screen.

"See, there is my friend Mason." I said, pointing at the picture.

"There is my Mom, and my dad."

She stopped staring at the screen, and looked at me.

"And there is…" I stopped, to look at her.

"Um, you okay Tigress?" I asked.

She continued to stare into my eyes, and leaned her head closer to mine.

"Tigress…"

"Don't."

She fluttered her eyes shut, and tilted her head slightly.

"Tigress."

She placed her hands on my hips.

"Tigr-" I was interrupted when she placed her lips to mine. Making me drop my phone on the floor.

"Tigress, stop!" I shouted, pushing her off of me.

She stared at me with a confused look.

"What are you doing?" I asked, composing myself.

"Matthew, please. Just for tonight…" She whispered, leaning closer to me again.

I scooted away from her, and then got off the bed.

"Tigress, I can't. YOU can't."

"Why not?" She asked, as I noticed a bit of hurt in her voice.

"I-I…" I stammered for words.

"Tell me why not." She said, rising from the bed as well.

"Because…because I…"

"Why not?" She asked, seeing tears forming in her eyes.

"You- you are deranged! I am not the man for you, please understand that I have-"

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Matthew, have you seen my Monkey action figure?" Po asked, entering the room.

I turned to Tigress, but she just pushed past me and stormed out of the room.

I slumped back onto my bed.

"Um, did I miss something?" Po asked, looking back at me.

I sighed, and picked up my phone from the ground.

"Yeah, I'll come back later." He said, stepping out of the room, closing the door.

I looked back to my phone, and stared at the picture.

It was a picture of my girlfriend from my other world, Lexi.

"She's why not." I whispered, throwing the phone onto the bed.

I ran my fingers through my hair, and got off the bed.

"Maybe some fresh air will help me relax." I said to myself, letting out a long sigh.

I stepped out into the cool nighttime, and gazed up at the stars.  
"I have to relax, I'll figure something out." I said to myself, letting out a sigh.

I saw a note on one of the ironwood trees a few feet from me.  
I took it off the trees bark, and began to read.

_Matthew, I am going to visit other cities and find more warriors there. _

_You need all the help you can get right?  
And don't worry. I'll change clothes and appearance, so I'm not arrested on sight.  
I'll probably return about a week before Alex will invade the Valley._

Also, thank you for keeping me safe.

-Sincerely, Mason Reed.

At least he doesn't have to stay hidden in the kitchen anymore. I thought to myself, looking at the bright side.

Good thing I found the note first.

I slowly started to walk towards the training hall, being lost in my thoughts, when I heard a scream from the Valley below.  
Seeing as it was my responsibility now to protect all inhabitants of the Valley, I began to sprint down the stairs.

I haven't even thought about alerting the other masters of where I was going, I was just acting on impulse.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Stay awesome people!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Once again another chapter!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

**JONG'S PALACE**

Jong was simply lounging around in his palace.  
He was using one of his many torturing devices to persuade a shy crocodile to speak, when he heard shouting coming from one of his guards.

"Jong!" The guard shouted, running to him. "The palace is under attack!"

He noticed the panic in the guards' voice, so he decided to see what was going on.

He walked out to the balcony overlooking the courtyard, when he saw a human killing his men.

He kept watching the attacker as he would kill his guards in various ways.

Breaking their necks, slitting their throats, and kicking them into the surrounding walls.

"Cease!" Jong shouted, and his guards complied. Jong then started to applaud and chuckle at the spectacle, while heading to the steps.

He finally reached the bottom of the steps, and walked towards the human.

"Bravo, strange one. Bravo! I am extremely impressed by your fighting abilities." He said, as his guards lowered their weapons.  
"Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Alex Murr." He replied.

"THE Alex Murr? The man to single-handedly overthrow Gongmen City?"

"The very same. And to answer why I am here is to control your army."

Jong began to laugh at this remark.  
"Such ambitions!" He said, continuing to chuckle. "I like you."

He glared back to his men around both of them.

"As for all of you, is that any way to treat a guest?" He said to his men.

"Especially one of his stature." While he continued to walk beside Alex.

"Who knows? Maybe we can negotiate a beneficial transaction." He said, as he put his hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Who knows?" Alex said, brushing Jong's hand off his shoulder.

"Come inside so we can discuss all of the finer details." Jong stated, leading him into his palace's doors.

Before entering Jong turned back toward his men.  
"As for all of you, I expect all of you to clean this place. I'll see your progress at sundown." He said, looking with disgust at the corpses.

His men looked at him, dumbfounded.  
"That means start doing it now." Jong reiterated, while raising a brow.

The guards did so.

**INSIDE JONGS PALACE**

After passing through many notable rooms, both Jong and Alex were led into the dining hall, with Jong's guards close behind them.  
Dinner had already been served, along with wine, chicken, bread, and other items.  
They both stepped inside, with the guards closing the doors behind them.

"You really are something aren't you? Alex Murr, the overlord of Gongmen city!

Or unless you renamed it, that is." Jong said cheerily, taking a seat.

"I have no need for such tedious acts." He said, sitting at the table as well.

"I must say I am surprised you have portrayed me as a 'guest'." He said, now a bit curious.  
"Quite. The reason being I would like to strike up an offer with you."

He said, opening the wine bottle on the table. "Drink?" He asked.

"I assume you would want me to loosen up for this 'offer' which has gone unnamed?" Alex asked, taking the pored glass.  
"Oh, yes. I would like you to help me destroy Po." Jong said, while serving himself some chicken from the table.  
"I have not the slightest idea of just who you are talking about." Alex said, picking up his wineglass.  
"Oh, forgive me. He must be using his alias as the 'Dragon Warrior', heard of him?" Jong asked, while putting a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Again no, I have not."  
"He is the fat panda in the Valley of Peace?" He asked, taking another bite.

"I think I recall something like that.  
If that's why is it that you are focusing on destroying this 'Po' character, who as far as I know has never wronged you?"

Why not kill him, then have the entire area to yourself. It's only sensible."

"Well, I... Uh. I simply wish to..."

"And why go miles from your home to kill one insignificant warrior?

Surely he is not an obstacle for your plans."

Alex said, while further inspecting his wineglass. Noticing slight discoloration from the drink.

"If anything he would be more sidetracked by, well me." He said, gesturing to himself.

"Now hold on for a moment, I didn't say he never wronged me!" Jong stated, sitting upright in his chair.

"Really? Then just what did the big bad panda do to you that's so horrid?" Alex asked in a mocking tone.

"Well he...um... He clearly...um-"

"Come now, don't say you can't remember.

This would clearly be an immense tear in your heart to kill only him specifically." He said again, now leaning into the table.  
Jong was now getting very uncomfortable. As his palms became sweaty.  
They stared at each other for a few more seconds, and then Alex relaxed.

"Alright, to each his own." Alex said, slumping back in his chair, and then moved the glass to his lips.  
"But before we continue further, I have one last question." He said, setting the glass down before drinking.  
"Uh- Of course." Jong replied, now relaxing a bit in his chair.

"If this is supposed to be a formal discussion, then why are your armed guards watching my every move?" He asked, gesturing to the guards by the closed door.  
"Well that's so you won't be tempted into trying something...inappropriate." Jong replied, finishing his chicken.  
"I can see the sense in that. "But then why have you?" He asked, as he set aside his wineglass.  
"Pardon?" Jong asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Why have you poisoned my drink?" Alex asked, now staring at his intently.  
"Wh-"What are you implying? I have done nothing of such indecent manner! I am appalled!" Jong stuttered, shifting uneasily in his chair.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked, staring Jong in the eyes.

"Alright then. Maybe I am being a bit unorthodox.

Maybe YOUR wine will help you spark another conversation." Alex stated, taking a bite of the bread placed on the table.

"I-I would rather wait. It spoils your appetite to have wine right after eating." He said, sweating slightly.  
"Surprising, your throat must be craving for some right now." Alex implied, leaning back into the table.  
"And why is that?" Jong asked with a nervous chuckle.  
"Because of the chicken you just finished off, of course."

Jong was holding his breath.  
Alex reached over and touched the remaining chicken on the table.  
"Dry as a bone." He stated, settling back into his chair.  
Jong was now tapping his hooves on the table slightly.

"Something wrong? You look nervous." Alex said, setting his hands on the tabletop.

"Maybe you are nervous because you forgot exactly which drink you have poisoned.

What a deadly guessing game." Alex said, as Jong's guards were now stepping closer.  
Jong was now scratching at the countertop, while sweat was running down his face.

"I have a guessing game to." Alex said, as he pulled out a revolver.  
The guards just realized this, when they were both shot in their heads.  
"How many bullets are left?" He asked, now circling around to Jong's chair.  
Jong started to become frantic.

"HELP! SOMEBODY, HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" He screamed, but there was no reply.  
Alex started to chuckle.  
"You see that's the problem of being exceedingly powerful, your men listen all too well.  
What did you say to them again? 'I expect all of you to clean this place. I'll see your progress at sundown.'

Considering the true vastness of your house, and all the doors we have gone through to get here, I would say we are alone for some time."

He said, while taking three bullets out of the chamber.

"Now. I won't waste your time, so I hope for your sake you do not waste mine." Alex said, while spinning the chamber.  
"First of all, why are you trying to kill me?" Alex asked, keeping his itchy trigger finger under control.

"Um-T-There was a bounty on your head, 1,000 yen." Jong replied, stammering in fear.

"How distasteful. You sit high in your magnificent palace, and yet you want more. Pathetic."

Alex pointed the revolver at Jong's head, touching it lightly.

"Now, to the point. I need all of your men and torturing devices." He stated, cocking the trigger and pressed the barrel on Jong's head.

"I-I can't, I'll lose my entire prophets from-"

"Wrong answer." Alex pulled the trigger, and heard a click.  
Jong was now sweating profusely, and was whimpering.

Alex handed Jong a piece of paper, and a pen.

"Let's go again." He said with a smile.

"ALRIGHT!" Jong shouted, sobbing.

"I'll give you everything you want! Just don't kill me!"

He said, as he signed the piece of paper Alex gave to him.

"Poor thing, it's not up to me whether you live or not." He said.

"It is a guessing game after all, and in my opinion you have more of a chance to live while playing it.

Let's have one more go."  
With that he pulled the trigger, killing Jong.

* * *

**Haha! Did you guys forget about Alex? I sure did...**

**Anyway, thank for reading!**

**...Now I need to go, Tigress is back in my room again...**

**(Turns around)**

**"What did I do this time whiskers?"**

**(Is grabbed by the throat)**

**"YOU MADE ME TRY AND SLEEP WITH MATTHEW!"**

**(In raspy voice) "Stay awesome people! T.O.C.A. signing off..."**


	17. Chapter 17

**What's going on? I'm back!**

**I was going to update sooner, but real life stopped me...**

**Anyway, make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

**IN THE VALLEY**

I sprinted down to the bottom of the Thousand Steps, my eyes glancing at the crowd, trying to see if anything was wrong.

I then heard another scream, now very close to me.

I quickly sprinted into the alleyway to avoid the crowd.

I slowed down as I saw a group of four figures feet from me.

Being hidden by darkness, I began to watch the event unfold.

"Please just let me go! I'll give you all my money!"  
She was a white snow leopard, who was being pinned to the wall by a muscular wolf.  
"No, we don't want your money. You're a pretty snow leopard, and it would be a shame to not show all you got."

The bulky wolf said, as his friends started chuckling behind him.

The wolf's hand began to slide down to her unmentionables, and that's where I drew the line.

"Hey Asshole," I said, walking towards them. "Let her go and I won't kill you." I was trying to sound braver than I felt.

"Hey look fellas," The wolf beside him said. "It's that one human kid. What his name? Michael?"  
I kept glaring at him, when I saw they dropped the leopard, and were now surrounding me.

"No, I think it started with a 'T,'" Another said.

"You morons his name is Matthew!" The muscular wolf blurted out.

"But maybe you're onto something, maybe he would be worth some money."

I counted three wolves around me, all having a greedy gleam in their eyes.  
They began to growl and snap at me with their sharp teeth, which shone in the moonlight.

I reached for my throwing knife, but noticed it wasn't there.  
"Shit." I said to myself. I remembered it was still stuck in the pillar back at the Jade Palace.

Seeing as I had nothing else to defend myself with, I picked up a sizable stone by my foot.

They all jumped at me, and I immediately went prone to dodge the canines.  
They were still slowly circling me, and I had a flashback to my high school days.

The day I knocked the school bully unconscious with a rock.  
Without thinking, I chunked the rock at the closest one to me.  
He crumpled to the ground.

That's a step in the right direction. I thought.  
I had to remember my training; I needed to use my anger.

I remembered what I did to the dummies, and I shifted into my Kung Fu stance.

The wolves didn't seem intimidated by this at all.

In fact, it seemed to fuel their urge to fight me.

Now I was the one to make the first move.

I started to throw an onslaught of punches at the muscular wolf, making sure each blow had a devastating effect.

I managed to break his arm, sending him in shock, while the second wolf jumped onto my back.

He started to dig his claws into my back, staining my shirt with blood.

I slammed my back into a wall, causing him to let go.

While doing so, I realized that something fell out of his pocket.

I quickly performed a leg sweep on the recovering canine, and punched him in the face, sending him into a daze.

I recovered the object from the ground and looked it over.

It was a picture of a human woman, with writing underneath the shot saying;

"Always love you and yours, Matthew McCormack

Sincerely, Lexi Campbell."

I was standing in the moonlit alley in shock.

I realized my shock quickly became unstoppable anger, and I picked up the dazed wolf by the scruff of his neck.

"Where did you get this?!" I shouted, glaring at him.

I noticed his friend with the broken arm crawling out of the alley, so I quickly stepped on his back to stop him.

The wolf I was holding looked at me like I was insane.

I slammed his head into the wall.

"Where the FUCK did you get this?!"

"I-I don't remember! I found it on the ground when I was-"

I punched him in the stomach.

"Don't bullshit me! The only place this has ever been was in my dimension, with THIS woman!" I shouted, tapping the picture.

He suddenly fainted, probably from being overwhelmed by the transpiring events.

I noticed the muscular wolf under my foot was struggling, which got my attention.

I heard the sound of the Valley's guards quickly approaching.

"Tell me now, where did your friend get this?!" I shouted in his ear, shoving the picture into his face.

"I don't know! It was by some human. I think."

"You'll have to be sure if you don't want your other arm broken!" I shouted, noticing the arriving guards.

I quickly and brutally stomped on the downed wolfs' broken arm, which made him yowl in pain.

And then sprinted out of the area, before the guards spotted me.

* * *

**Lots of drama in this one...**

**Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi guys... Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I was having trouble finding motivation to add entries because my girlfriend broke up with me on V-Day...**

**Anyway...Enough about me, let's go on with the show!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

**THE JADE PALACE**

I was just opening the doors to the Jade Palace, when I noticed the masters were not present.

They must be sleeping. I thought.

I passed the sleeping quarters, and noticed the lights in my room were still on.

Why would they check my room again? I have nothing to hide. I thought, walking down the hallway.

I finally stepped into the doorway, when I saw Master Shifu rummaging through my belongings.

"Um, Master Shifu, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

He whipped around, and stared at me in shock.

"Oh, Matthew. I'm sure your training went well?" He asked, concealing something behind his back.

"I'm surprised you weren't there to see it." I said, stepping closer to him.

He stepped back slightly, and continued on.

"Well, I'm sure you have had a very tiring day, so I will leave you to rest." He said, walking to the door.

"Wait." I said, sighing.

"You may be a master at Kung Fu, but you are a terrible liar." I said, sticking out my open palm.

"Give me what you took."

"I-I'm insulted you would even assume I've done such a thing.

I expect a full apology in the morning." He said, inching closer to the exit.

"I won't ask again, hand it over." I instructed, moving my outstretched hand.

"Alright, I'm sorry Matthew.

I found it lying on your bed." He said, giving it to me.

"Wait, someone was here?" I asked, looking around the room.

"I assume so."

I turned back to the item.

I was shocked as it was a picture of Lexi, bound and bloody with a blindfold on.

The writing under the picture said;_ "Will you die for yours, Matthew McCormack?_

_Sincerely, Alex Murr."_

"I'm sorry Matthew. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to save you the pain of the picture."

I sighed deeply, fighting back tears.

"Next time show it to me, it fuels my anger." I said, crushing the picture in my hands.

I opened my palms, and saw writing on the back of the picture.

"I am sure your beloved girlfriend misses you Matthew, come get her."

It had the name 'Gongmen City' under the note.

I studied the picture for a second, and then lifted my eyes back to Master Shifu.

"Master Shifu, might I be excused from training for the rest of the week?" I asked in a neutral tone.

"Of course, but why?"

"Because I'm going to save Lexi, and then kill Alex." I said, putting the picture in my pocket.

We were both unaware that the rest of the masters were now listening to the conversation through their rooms.

"If that is the case, then get some rest. You will need it." Shifu said, exiting the room.

"Sure thing." I said, exiting the room as well.

**TRAINING HALL**

"Come on, come on." I said, trying to dislodge the throwing knife in the pillar.

It finally came free, and I shoved into my pocket.

"Finally." I said, letting out a sigh.

I opened the training hall doors, sending Po and Monkey to fall to my feet.

"Um… Hi Matthew, we're just looking for a midnight snack." Po started, smiling guiltily.

"In the training hall?" I asked, giving them a judgmental look.

"No, we just wanted to talk to you." Monkey confessed, giving Po an angry glance.

"Why are you looking at me? He was buying it." Po said, stretching out his hand.

"I wasn't Po, sorry." I said, helping him up. "But why did you guys want to talk to me?"

"We think you should stay here, you need to train." Monkey said, clearly hiding something.

"No really, why?" I asked.

Po let out a sigh. "We think you will be killed."

I stared at them with confused looks.

"Why do you think I'll be killed?"

"Because last time you were wounded, you were out for almost five hours.

And we were there to help you, and he came to us." Monkey stated.

"Guys, relax. I won't be killed, I've fought him before in my old world."

I said, putting a hand on Po's shoulder.

I looked back at the training equipment.

"And you can tell everyone else to stop hiding." I said, looking back at Po.

He sighed. "Alright guys, come out."

The four remaining masters came out of hiding, and looked at me with concern.

"Let me guess, you guys were thinking the same thing?" I asked.

They all nodded.

"How am I going to convince you people I'll be fine?" I asked, leaning against the open door.

"You could stay here." Mantis inclined.

"It was a rhetorical question." I said, turning back to Po.

"I'll be alright. And who knows, if Alex is killed maybe the valley will be safe."

"I surely hope so." Crane said, looking to the ground sadly.

"We should all get to sleep. Maybe our luck will change." I said, gesturing to the open door.

All of the masters headed out, except for Tigress.

I sighed. "What is it Tigress?"

She put her hand on my shoulder.

"Please be careful."

I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I will, trust me."

With that we left the training hall.

* * *

**The plot thins!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here goes another chapter!**

**I would like to thank the following people for supporting this story so far.**

**Wra1thRid3r**

**LizzyThePanda**

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**The Master Of Stories**

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**Jade The Tigress**

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**and finally, mad eyes love.**

**Thank all of you for supporting me!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

**MATTHEW'S ROOM**

I quietly entered my room, and closed the door behind me.

I could hear my words echoing over and over again in my head.

"I'll be alright."

"I'll be alright."

Isn't that the lie of the century.

Lexi was being tortured by Alex at this very moment!

I screamed in my head as I grasped my phone in my hands.

My hands trembling.

As I stared at the picture of her, happy and joyous.

But no longer.

And while I stay in my quiet room, knowing all too well that I am safe and contempt, she is in both physical and mental pain.

She needed to know I was in this world with her.

That I could ease her pain.

That I could be her light once again.

But wishing for it to be so won't make a difference.

Then another voice entered my head.

"Please be careful."

I slammed my palms on the wall in frustration.

Why does _Tigress_ care about me?

Why would she say that?

It's not like she knows me, she doesn't understand me!

And now she is saying to be careful?

What a joke!

Why can't I just go home?

I paused as I noticed tears forming in my eyes.

I quickly pulled myself together, and sat down on my bed.

Alex has done more by taking Lexi than breaking me; he has found my weakness.

I clenched my fists, and chunked my phone at the wall.

Why her?

Why does she have to suffer?

Why not me?

I would take her place in a heartbeat.

Why is the world so cruel?

I noticed once again as I was on the verge of tears.

Through my shaking hands, I realized one thing was clear.

Alex will pay for this.

**THE NEXT DAY**

_Tigress POV  
_  
I was trying to stay balanced on the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion, avoiding being struck by one of the clubs.

Why did Matthew leave in such a rush? Doesn't he care about us?

Doesn't he care about me?  
Stop it Tigress! Of course he cares about you! I'm sure he had his reasons to leave without warning.

Maybe I had something to do with it. Maybe I scared him away.

No I had nothing to do with it.  
Master Shifu kept saying it was a 'personal' matter of his, and that he would return by the weeks end.  
So I have no reason to keep thinking about him.

Then why do I? I shove out every trace of him, and yet he comes right back into my head.

Is this supposed to be a sign for something?

Of course there are the obvious reasons;

He has brought evil to the valley, he has continually given us more than enough reason to be deemed untrustworthy, and he recently emotionally tormented me by bringing up my past!  
I closed the thought, as I smashed one of the approaching clubs to splinters.

But maybe there is something more.

"Alright students," Master Shifu announced, entering the training hall. "Let's break for lunch."

"Yes Master." We all replied, exiting the training hall.

While we were walking, I decided to ask Master Shifu about Matthew's current absence.

Since he was very quiet about the subject since this morning.

"Master, may I ask you something?" I asked, stepping to the front of the group.

"What is it Tigress?" He replied, staring ahead.

"I was wondering if you knew why Matthew left in such a hurry yesterday. Do you know?" I asked.

He stopped, and turned to us.  
All of us were now paying attention.

"He left because someone from his world is in great pain.

I'm not sure who she is, but he seems to care very much for her." He said.

"Well as far as I can tell from the picture I found at his bedside."

"Thank you for clarifying Master." I said nodding.

"You're welcome." He said, continuing his walk to the kitchen.

Thoughts started rushing in.  
Matthew has a woman in his life? I wish I had known.

God! Snap out of it Tigress! He does NOT like you!  
I sighed, as I opened the doors to the kitchen.

As we headed to the kitchen, Master Shifu headed off into his own room.

For some reason he liked to eat in solitude.

.here was..

Po was ready and willing to fix up his noodles for lunch.

After almost a year of eating them, they still taste as good as the first day I tried them.

I was still pondering my thoughts from earlier today.

As to why Matthew left like he did.

It seems like he would want to stay and train with us, he owes no debt to us, he barley even knows us.

Well, maybe he knows me.

The way he was described every detail of my past.

How did he know it so methodically? It seemed like he was reading it off of a script.

I had to ask Master Shifu about this.

"Order up." Po said, placing our meals in front of us.

He sat down as well, then stated to scarf down his noodles.

While I ate my noodles quietly, I started to think if I would tell Matthew fully how I felt about him when he got back.

That is if I knew _myself_ how I felt about him.

I needed to clear my head.

"Um, Po? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

All the other Masters stopped eating, and turned to me.

So much for that strategy.

"Uh, sure Tigress." He replied, rising from the table.

I grabbed hold of his wrist, and pulled him into the hallway.

* * *

**Yeah I know, that was short... But the next one will be longer!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm back with another chapter!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

I firmly closed the door behind us.

"Okay, um. What do you want to talk about Tigress?"

I turned away from him, and leaned on the door behind us.

"I don't know, I just…I just need someone to talk to."

"About what?" He asked.

"About Matthew."

"What about Matthew?"

"I can't stop thinking about him."

"Well, can't you just think about something else?"

"Po, you're not helping!'

He paused for a moment, and then side glanced at me.

"Do you like him?" He asked, flinching for an oncoming punch to the face.  
I didn't punch him though. He was sort of right. I liked him, a lot. But I like Po too.

I slid down into the crouching position on the floor, and buried my face into my hands.  
"I'm so conflicted Po. I don't know what to do." I said through my hands, fighting back tears.  
"So you DO like him!" He said, with a sense of wonder in his voice.

I nodded.

"I knew that something happened last night!"

I stared daggers at him.

"Um, sorry." He said, twiddling his thumbs.  
"Well maybe I can help you. Why are you conflicted?"  
"Well..." I paused for a moment, and lifted my head out of my palms. "Because I like someone else too."  
"Really? Who?" He asked, as he leaned closer to me.

I just stared into his eyes.

He finally got the hint, and blushed.  
"Oh. Well, um..." It was amusing as he scrambled for words.

"Does Matthew know about this?"  
"I think he knows." I said, blushing a bit.  
"Oh, well okay.

I'll try and help you in any way I can."

"Thanks Po."

We were taken by awkward silence.

"Um, okay.

Guess I'll see you later." He said, as he dragged his feet back into the kitchen.

"Yeah. Alright." I said, trying not to look at him.

Why did I do that?! I thought to myself, banging on the wall I was leaning on.  
That was PERFECT! We were alone, it was dark, and he clearly likes me too.

Why did I just sit there like a rock and talk about my feelings?

I have NEVER talked about my feelings to anyone!

Well, except around Matthew...  
AAAGH! Why is he still on my mind!  
*SIGH* Enough. I'll just discuss the matter with Master Shifu. Maybe he can help me.

I slowly walked through the hallway, and gently tapped on Master Shifu's room.

Tigress walks into Master Shifu's room.

"Master Shifu, I was wondering if I could see my past memories scroll." I asked, shutting the door behind me.

"I need to clear something up."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, turning to me.

"There's no such thing as a "memories" scroll, it would be much too risky to have such a thing." He said.

"Why would you even ask something like that?"

"Well, I was told that you had a scroll about my past." I protested.

"Tigress, I can assure you I have nothing of the sort."

"Oh-okay. Um, thank you Master." I replied, leaving the room.

Then how did Matthew know everything about my past?

I sighed heavily, and headed back for my room.

Maybe some rest will help me find the answer.

But before I entered my room, I heard a knock on the Palace doors.

I stared at the door, and put my guard up.

"Who would be here at this hour?"

I slowly approached the door, and quickly jerked it open.

I bowed in the presents of Master Croc, and Master Storming Ox.


	21. Chapter 21

**Holy crap! That was a long time**! **Sorry to keep all you awesome people waiting, but life got in the way.**

**Anyway, on with the show!**

* * *

"Good evening Master Tigress." Master Croc said to me, entering the Palace.

"Good evening Master Croc. I would hate to be rude, but why exactly are you here at this hour?" I asked, trying to stay humble.

"We were told that the Valley was going to be attacked by the same person who attacked Gongmen City." Master Ox replied.

"I heard of that attack, how did you escape?" I asked, closing the door.

"Unfortunately, we were on a rescue mission at the time of the attack.

So as soon as we returned, the city was overwhelmed." Master Croc answered.

"And since we had no intentions of being killed, we left the area." Master Ox added.

I stayed silent for a moment.

"So, how did you know we were going to be attacked?" I asked, looking at them with curiosity.

"Well, a young man told us. He was behind us a minute ago." Master Croc said, opening the door.

I peeked outside with him, and saw nothing but the Valley's lights in the distance.

"Key word **was**." Master Ox said.

"Well, do you know who he was?" I asked, closing the door again.

"Um, no. Come to think of it, I don't even know what species he was." Master Croc said with a baffled look.

My interest heightened a bit.

"You didn't know what species he was?" I asked.

"Well, no. He seemed like a bald monkey." Master Croc added.

My eyes widened in realization, as I quickly opened the doors again. And I ran outside.

"Mason! If you ever come back here, I will make sure you are locked away forever!" I shouted into the nighttime sky.

No answer.

"What was that about?" Master Croc asked, stepping next to me with Master Ox.

I turned back to the two of them.

"The person that brought you here is a murderer, and I am surprised that he even had the nerve to show his face here." I said with a scoff.

They stared at me with confusion.

"I don't understand. He told us that all of you needed our help." Master Croc said, scratching his head.

I paused for a moment, and then looked back to him.

"Well, he was telling the truth." I implied, looking to the ground.

Master Ox put his hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you have misjudged your friend."

I was gritting my teeth, but forced a smile.

"Maybe I have." I replied.

"Now please, let's go inside." I announced, gesturing to the open door.

With a nod, they both went into the palace.

I was closing the door, and scanned the outside area one last time.

"I am not mistaken." I said to myself, before fully closing the door.

* * *

**I KNOW! It's short! It'll be longer next time! Anyway, stay awesome everybody!**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm back once again! Sorry for the long wait, E.O.C. stuff... Anyway, make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA!**

* * *

**CHORH-GOM PRISON**

Alex entered the Chorh-Gom Prison, two guards lying dead at his feet.

He glanced at the nearly twenty inmates, who were staring back at him through their cells, and continued to walk towards the rhinos at the back of the room.

The four guards all charge at Alex with their weapons raised, but it did no good.

With finesse, he pulled his desert eagle out of its holster, and shot three of the four guards.

As the three bodies crumpled to the ground, the fourth guard was upon Alex.

But again it did no good, as he simply kicked the spear out of the guards' hand, and kicked the guard to the ground.

Alex watched, smiling, as the guard stood up again, his fists raised.

"That's a first." He said amused, and shot the guard in the knee.

He shouted in pain as he clenched his knee, and fell to the ground.

He was still whimpering as Alex walked over to him.

He then firmly kicked the guard in his ribs.

The guard coughed, and looked up at him.

"The only reason you are alive is because you have something I need." He informed.

The guard continued to stare lividly at him.

Alex crouched on one knee, and put the barrel of his gun onto the guards other knee.

"Do you really want to play this game?" Alex asked him, twitching his trigger finger to intimidate.

The guard looked at the ground, and then back at him.

"What do you need?"

"That's a good man. I need the keys to the cells."

The guard spat in his face. "Go to Hell."

Alex smiled wickedly. "I was hoping you would say that."

He then blew out his other knee, causing the guard to scream out.

"MY POCKET!" He screamed, groaning. "They're in my pocket you bastard!"

Alex shrugged it off. "I prefer the term 'overlord'." He said as he took the keys from the guards pocket.

Alex lifted his head, and heard guards approaching in the distance.

"Seems like we are going to have company."

He shot the guard in the head, and then jogged over to the cells beside him.

The criminals all gave him death glares, and tried to grab him through the bars.

"Uh, uh, uh. You should be nicer to your redeemer." He said, jingling the keys in his hands.

One by one, they backed off.

"Good. Now can any of you tell me where I can find Fenghuang, Bad Po, and the Wu Sisters?"

Now all of them were staring at him intently.

It stayed silent, until one criminal finally stepped to the front of the cell.

"They are at the bottom of the prison, they are kept together." He answered.

"How convenient." Alex said, smiling a bit.

He then opened the cells door.

"Now I ask you one favor for freeing all of you; create chaos."

They each nodded excitedly, all wearing malicious smiles on their faces.

Alex turned to see the doors burst open, as guards entered the room.

"Knock yourselves out." He said, stepping to the back of the group.

The criminals immediately charged at the guards, vigorously biting and clawing.

Alex took this chaotic opportunity to slip past the guards, as he headed for the lift outside the room.

It was fairly easy to get into the lift without hassle, as all the guards were occupied fighting the released inmates.

He pulled the lever on the lift, sending him down to the cells of the three treacherous criminals.

When he finally reached the bottom level, he slowly stepped out of the lift.

As promised, the five villains were all in their own individual cells.

Alex walked towards the cells of the five villains, as each of them talked amongst themselves.

He listened curiously to the conversation.

"Maybe this is the day we finally escape!" Bad Po announced from his cell, rubbing his hands in excitement.

"Well wishful thinking won't solve that, now will it?" Fenghuang scorned, and walked over to her cells door.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" Wing Wu asked, glaring at Fenghuang.

"I am trying to escape, because I would never trust Bad Po's wishful thinking for a second." She replied, fiddling with the doors' lock.

The Wu sisters glanced at each other from their own cells, and fiddled with their locks as well.

Bad Po rolled his eyes, and then leaned against his cell door.

"While you guy are wasting time with that, I'm gonna relax and wait for the other criminals upstairs to free us."

"Like who?" Wan Wu asked, scratching at her cell bars.

"Like… um… Like that guy." Bad Po answered, pointing at Alex as he approached their cells.

Wing Wu stopped gnawing at her cells bars, and tried to get Alex's attention.

"Hey, hey person! Can you let us out?" She asked, stretching her arms between the bars.

Alex looked at her, and then stopped feet from the cells.

"That depends. Will you help me?" Alex asked, crossing his arms.

"Sure, what do-"

"Who are you?" Su Wu interrupted Bad Po, as she stared at him with anger.

"What a naive question. Why didn't you ask it sooner?" Alex asked, walking to her cell.

"Don't avoid the question, who are you?" She asked again, looking him over.

Alex leaned in close to her cell. "I am Alex Murr, love." He answered, and then quickly pulled his head from the cells wall to avoid a slash from the criminal.

The rest of the Wu sisters were all staring at him lividly, and exposed their sharp teeth.

Both Fenghuang and Bad Po stared at Alex with curiosity.

"You three know him?" Bad Po asked, scratching his head.

Su Wu let out a low growl towards Alex.

"Not personally." She answered, as she was now vigorously tugging at the door's lock.

"We were told that he could kill us in a heartbeat."

Fenghuang started to chuckle.

"Yes, because obviously his kind can defeat the second most feared villains in China."

_"Second?"_ Wan Wu asked, offended by the comment.

"Of course, because I am the first." Fenghuang exclaimed, grinning, gesturing to herself.

"When I get out of this cell I will prove you wrong." Su Wu retorted, glaring at Fenghuang.

"Ladies, ladies. I'm sure we can agree that I can beat both of you blindfolded." Bad Po interrupted.

All four of them laughed at Bad Po.

"I had no idea you had a sense of humor Bad Po, I-"

"Shut it! All of you!" Alex shouted, silencing them.

"Are you all finished?" Alex asked in a mocking tone, as the villains turned back to him.

Good, now back to the topic at hand. I need you five to help me take over this world."

Each of their faces lit up, except for Su Wu's.

Alex looked at her with a distasteful look.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Alex asked.

"No, I have a problem with you being a part of it." She replied.

"Well if I free you, will that change your attitude?" He asked, jingling the cells' key ring in his hands.

Su Wu turned to her sisters, and each of them nodded excitedly.

"I suppose." She decided.

Alex unlocked each of their cells, and pulled out is desert eagle.

Each of the villains turned to him with dark glares.

"Oh please, don't act so surprised. It's only a precaution." He said, pointing his gun at the group.

Bad Po stepped ahead of the rest of the group.

"I think it's clear as to who is leading this gang." Bad Po announced, with a smirk on his face. "Me."

Alex immediately grabbed him by the throat, and pushed his back to the wall.

"Now listen to me you worthless beast. I am leading this group, and I will kill you if you threaten my position.

Are we clear?" He asked.

Bad Po nodded.

"That goes for all of you." He said to the rest of them, releasing Bad Po.

The Wu sisters all stepped forward, and took their Kung Fu stances.

"We are going to be the leaders of this group, and there is nothing you can do about it." Su Wu said to Alex.

"Oh, I am shaking." He replied, as he shot a desert eagle round into the air.

Each of the villains jolted, but that didn't stop Su Wu.

Su Wu was first to strike, by kicking Alex in the chest.

This barely fazed him, as he returned the favor by kicking her into the cells behind them.

He just reentered his stance when Wing and Wan were right on top of him.

He simply evaded a lash to the face by Wan, and grabbed Wing by the throat..

He then put the barrel of is gun to her temple, and chucked lightly to the rest of the villains.

"I am leading this group. All who oppose will be killed, plain and simple.

Does anyone disagree?" He asked, looking at Wan amused.

She lowered her head, and backed up.

"Good." He finished, pushing Wing Wu to the ground in front of him.

"Now, to the Jade Palace."

* * *

**Uh oh! Alex is on the move! What will happen next? **

**Have a great spring break! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello once again everyone! I have no good excuse as to why I haven't posted in a while, but I hope this makes up for it. **

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

* * *

**OUTSKIRTS OF GONGMEN CITY (The next day)**

_Normal POV_

I stared up at the sun, continually shining on Gongmen City.

I would probably appreciate the sight more if I wasn't about to kill Alex Murr.

I started to walk close to the closed gates, listening to the murmurs of the civilians behind them.

"Hey, you!" A guard shouted, pointing at me. "Stop right there."

I kept walking towards them.

"I said stop!" He said, pointing his spear at me.

They both charged at me, to which I did a split kick, knocking them out.

Time stood still for a bit, maybe because I was overcome by rage.

I heard the civilian's screams from the gate's entrance, as I stepped into the city.

I saw the faces of all the families inside, but I didn't care. They didn't understand why, no one did.

I noticed a handful of armed rhino guards approaching in front of me, I didn't even bother to take out another throwing knife.

I simply picked up a spear from the dead guard next to me, and stuck it into the ground next to the groups feet.

It slightly fazed the group, but they still sprinted past the waving spear.

The first rhino to reach me tried to cut my head off with his sword.

It wasn't a problem, as I simply dodged the heavy attack, and struck him in the throat, sending him unconscious.

Two more guards were right behind the first, and both swung at me with their own swords.

I ducked down and tripped the right guard with my foot.

He fell to the ground, as the left guard slashed at me, grazing my chest.

I grabbed him and threw him into the recovering guard on the ground, and then struck each in their heads with my foot, sending them both unconscious.

As he fell, yet another guard slashed at me and cut my arm, but I stopped him from killing me by punching him in the face.

He tripped over the two unconscious enemies, and fell flat on his back.

I finished knocking him out, when I saw one more guard running at us in my peripheral vision.

I walked away from the wounded guard, and readied myself to confront the last enemy.

I carefully aimed my throwing knife, and pierced his knee.

I jogged to him and kicked his sword farther from him.

I rolled him onto his back and stared him into his eyes.

"Where do you keep your prisoners?" I asked, stepping on his chest.

"In the jail, at Black Dragon Alley." He said in a raspy voice.

I picked up his sword from the ground, and let out a sigh.

"Put some pressure on that." I said as I gestured to his bleeding knee.

I then looked to my side to see the terrified townspeople, all staring at me.

Women holding their children, husbands holding their wives.

I felt bad for them, that's how I felt on the inside.

Alone, hurt, terrified, traumatized.

Maybe they did understand.

And that made me simply livid.

I was shaking with rage, thinking of all the terrible things done to Lexi.

I started to run, passing by all of the innocents who are under the command of Alex.

The sick monster who harnesses mind games, to break even the most iron-willed warrior.

I'll make him pay.

I had finally reached the jail that was mentioned.

I was infuriated, sprinting towards the jail. Being blinded by my rage.

All of the deception, all of the emotional trauma, all of the mental suffering.

It was finally getting to me. To think, in my other world I had to become a careless drone.

Never showing fear or compassion. To shut in my emotions.

If you cry, you will regret it.

Although I could have stopped all of my pain in an instant.

Lexi was the only thing stopping me.  
She proved to me my soul could be loved, it could be saved.

She could be the cause, the reason to redeem my bedeviled life.

And now when I find an escape from my personal Hell, she arrives here.

Although she is my love, I prayed she would spare me the pain of appearing here. Now, she is suffering.

And I am not there to comfort her.

To tell her it will all be okay.

* * *

**Oh no! Matthew doesn't know Alex is gone! This could be troublesome...**

**Thanks for reading. :) **


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello once again everyone! I'm back once again!**

**I have no excuse for not updating sooner, but I hope this makes up for it. **

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING OF KUNG FU PANDA! **

* * *

I finally spotted the prison doors, unguarded.

It wouldn't have made a difference, I would have gone through an army.  
With a note on the doors, it read; _Come and get me Matthew._

I sprinted to the entrance, and kicked the doors off their hinges.  
I quickly noticed my surroundings; nothing but jail cells, and haystack.  
I was gritting my teeth, seeing there was no one present in the jail.  
I whipped my head to my side, and saw another note reading; _I will break you, lost sheep. _

_For you have abandoned your home, leaving it for the wolves. As it were, your hope and heart shall die._

_I left your hope where vermin sleep. _

_She has been broken._

I then realized what he meant.

I was not there to protect the Jade Palace.

I was the only obstacle standing between his goal, so he lured me away.

He was right, I lost both my heart ad home.

"Fuck!" I shouted, and then fell to my knees.  
I was trembling, and felt tears forming in my eyes.  
I started scream and punch the ground repeatedly.  
It felt unreal, like I was in a dream.

I heard laughter of children, flashes of my old home.

It hurt too much. I was leaning on a cell wall.  
"Why me? What did I do?" I asked myself, throwing my head back.  
My eyes closed, my fists clenched tightly.

"Why me?" I said softly, as tears started to stream down my face.

I stood up, and started to furiously punch the iron bars of a cell in front of me.

I was breathing harder and harder, screaming at myself. Barely denting it.

I didn't even need to say the fact; I failed.

I failed myself, my home, my friends, my lover, my chance for a new life.

I stopped for a minute, and saw my hands were bleeding profusely. I didn't even feel it, I didn't care.

Which only infuriated me more.

You are an unfeeling monster! I shouted in my head.

And now because you pushed everyone away, you have lost everything you hold dear!  
I continued to beat the iron bars, and started to kick them as well.

Striking faster and harder, seeing as I bent the bars to form a point.

I had several deep, severe, raw gashes all over my arms and lower legs.  
My clothes were starting to soak in the blood, leaving me light-headed.  
My whole body felt tingly, as if I would faint where I was.

I started to experience tunnel vision, seeming to block reality. Then I fell flat on my back.  
I tried to get up, but had no energy for it. I was just forced to lie there, leaving me with only my thoughts.  
The Palace needed me, my friends needed me, and they don't stand a chance.

I was slowly closing my eyes, when I heard a quiet moan from behind me.  
I slightly turned my gaze upwards, and saw Lexi partially conscious submerged in a haystack beside me.

"Lexi!" I tried to shout, but whispered.  
"Lexi, I'll get you help."  
She moved her head slightly, and smiled lightly.

"You need it more than me Matthew." She said softly, without opening her eyes.

"Lexi stay with me, okay? You're going to be okay." I said, as I clenched her hand.  
"Help!" I shouted, chocking on the word. "Help! Someone!"

"It's okay Matthew, it's okay. We'll be home soon." She whispered, holding my hand lightly.  
"We'll get to see our parents, and our friends, and especially each other. As if nothing happened."

"Lexi don't talk like that." I said in a stern voice. "We're going to be okay."  
I reassured. "Help!" I shouted again.  
"Help!"  
I saw Lexi moving her hand close to my mouth. "Matthew no. Just relax, it'll work out." She said as she exhaled deeply.

"Lexi?" I said, rubbing her hand. She didn't respond.

"Lexi?!" I said louder, shaking her hand hard.  
"Oh God, oh God. Help!" I shouted, coughing afterword's.

"Please someone help!" I shouted, tears forming in my eyes again.  
"Please" I said once more, then closing my eyes.  
I opened them from time to time, drifting in and out of consciousness, when I saw a goat looming above us.  
I looked at Lexi for a second, and saw the goat had taken her by the arm.

I tried to warn her, but she was still unconscious.

"Lexi, please wake up." I whispered, before finally closing my eyes.

* * *

**Wow! Lots of drama in this chapter! What will happen next?**


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm back once again. I sincerely apologize for not posting more frequently. I have been busy with life...**

**But anyway, I'll leave you to it!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy! **

* * *

...

I woke up.

I was back at my home, my real home.

I sat up, and acknowledged the smell of waffles and hot chocolate.

Mom makes them the best.

I stretched out my arms, and deeply breathed in.

I missed my room.  
I ran downstairs and saw my parents.

"Mom! Dad!" I shouted, hugging them both.

"Wow, someone is in a good mood." My dad said, patting my back.  
"It's because I had the strangest dream. I was in-"  
My dad's phone interrupted me.  
"Hello? Yes she is. Alright. Thank you for calling, bye."  
"Who was that?" I asked him, heading to get a waffle off the stove.  
"Oh, that was Lexis mother. She was letting us know she was on her way."

"Well that's good. Where is Lexi?" I asked, placing a hot waffle on my plate.  
"Oh, she's watching a movie. What was the name again?" He asked, turning to mom.  
"Kung Fu Panda." She answered for him.  
I dropped my waffle on the floor, as my memories came flooding back to me.

The Palace,

Alex,

Mason,

Lexi.

"Matthew, try not to make a mess." My mom said, getting a paper towel.  
"What movie did you say?" I asked, my mouth hanging open.

"Kung Fu Panda. You have heard of it, haven't you?" My dad said, looking at me.  
I stared at them for a second, and then ran off into the TV room.  
"Matthew, finish you breakfast first." My dad shouted behind me, but I didn't answer.

I entered the TV room and saw Lexi watching the Po fighting Ti-Lung in the final ten minutes of the movie.  
She noticed me behind her, and smiled warmly.

"Matthew come sit with me." She said to me, patting the couch cushion next to her.

"Lexi, how did you get back?" I asked, walking to the couch.  
"What are you talking about? I never left." She said, smiling warily at me.  
"How did you escape the jail? Where did you find the strength to even stand?"  
"What jail?" She asked, now focusing fully on me. "Are you feeling okay Matthew?"

I shook my head, and sat on the couch.  
"What is going on?" I asked myself, rubbing my temple.  
I was closing my eyes, when I heard a voice from above me.

"Matthew? Matthew, don't do this to me." I heard, as the voice echoed around the room.  
"Matthew, are you okay?" Lexi asked, grabbing my shoulder.  
"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking in her eyes.  
"Hear what?" She asked.

I suddenly had the feeling of searing pain in my arm.  
"Ah!" I complained, looking at my arm, but there was nothing wrong with it.  
I then felt short of breath, and started to gasp for air.

"Matthew? Matthew!" Lexi shouted, running to me. I was on my knees now, coughing up a storm.

"Help! Please someone help!" I heard her scream.  
I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my ribs, and looked at the ceiling.

I noticed Lexis voice started to fade from earshot.

My vision became blurred. And then I felt a definite pain on my cheek.  
I looked back at Lexis blurred face, screaming and panicked.  
"Matthew!" I heard from above me, then another sharp pain in my ribs.

….

I quickly forced my eyes open, and saw Lexi, sobbing into my chest.  
"Lexi?" I asked, rubbing her shoulder.  
"Matthew!" She shouted and hugged me tightly.  
I looked around and saw we were in a quaint shack, probably outside of Gongmen city. It was good to be back.

Lexi was now sobbing over my shoulder, tightening her embrace on me.  
"It's okay, were okay." I said, stroking her back, calming her a bit.  
I looked at my arms, and noticed there were pin impressions on them.  
"Did you do this?" I asked, breaking the hug to show her my arms.  
"No. A nice goat did. She was the one who brought us here, and saved us." She said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

I heard steps, and turned to my right.  
I saw a goat holding gauze in her arms.  
"Are you...Are you-"  
"The Soothsayer? Yes, I am." She finished for me, walking to the two of us.

"Why-why did you save us?" I asked, standing up.

"Because you are destined for greatness." She replied, looking me in the eyes.

"To save the Jade Palace?"

"Yes, and also yourself."  
"Myself? What do you mean?" I asked, turning a bit tense.

She walked closer to me and grabbed my hands.  
"You must let go of your pain." She said as she turned my palms upward.

"What do you know about pain?" I asked, jerking my hands from her grasp.  
She sighed, and then looked at the ground.

"There was once a young man like you.

He had a wealthy family, and they loved him with all their hearts.

Until one day, corruption began to plague him.

Fireworks were a beautiful thing, his parents loved them.

But although it was adored by all, he only focused on the power he could obtain from them.

All of the countries he could overthrow, all the people who would adore him and his family because of it."

She sighed deeply, and then raised her gaze back to me.  
"But when he showed his new found creation to his mother and father, they were devastated.  
So they sent him away from his home, never again to be loved.

And the Shen I knew was gone."

She finished, looking at Lexi and I.  
We sat in silence for a moment, noticing Lexi wiping tears from her eyes.

She took my hands once again.  
I leaned down to look her in the eyes.  
"The moral is;

Do not focus on the storm to come, but the light shining through the darkening clouds." She stated, letting go of my hands.


	26. Chapter 26

**I am SOOO sorry for not posting earlier! I'm just really busy, and I haven't had time to post...**

**Anyway, on with the show!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy! **

* * *

I stayed silent for a minute, letting her words sink in.

Then I sighed heavily, and looked back at Lexi.

"Thank you Soothsayer, I will heed your wisdom."

She nodded, and then turned back to fiddling with acupuncture needles.

I sat down on the ground, and shook my head.

"How are we even going to **get **to the Valley?" I asked Lexi.

Lexi hugged me, and looked in my eyes.  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."  
She stood up, and walked over to the Soothsayer.

"Excuse me, Soothsayer?" She said, causing the Soothsayer to turn around.

"Do you know how to-"  
"Help you return to the Jade Palace? Yes." The Soothsayer interrupted. "There is a cart a bit down the road, and the driver knows the way."

Lexi stared at her, and raised an eyebrow.  
"How did you know I was going to ask that?" She asked, walking closer.

The Soothsayer smiled a bit. "How do you think I brought you here?" She asked, handing Lexi two black hoods.  
"Wear these, we wouldn't want you two to get into any more trouble hmm?" She said with a smirk.

"Um, thanks." Lexi replied, walking to me.

"Let's go Matthew." She said, helping me on my feet.

Before stepping out onto the road, I turned back to the Soothsayer.  
"Thank you for your words of wisdom; I will try my best to follow them."  
She nodded, and smiled at us.  
I then pulled the hood over my head, as Lexi and I headed down the road.

**AN HOUR LATER**

I had Lexi in a warm embrace, as the bumpy cart ride was dulling out senses.

"Matthew." Lexi said, breaking the silence.

"Why did you say we were going to be okay?" She asked, looking me in the eyes.

"What do you mean? I was just saying the truth." I replied, looking down at her.

"I know, but why say that? Hope was lost."

"And yet here we are." I implied, tightening my embrace on her.

"Please Matthew, don't push the question away. Haven't you ever had doubts?" She asked, breaking the hug to sit up.

"Yes, for a time. Long before we arrived here. But I always had the drive to carry on."

"What was it?"

"It was you." I answered, bringing her into another hug.

We sat in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

As we pondered why the world was so cruel.

I was conflicted as I heard her begin to cry on my shoulder, hugging me tighter.

"Shhh, it's alright, it's alright." I softly said, trying to calm her down a bit.

She continued to cry into my shoulder, as I gently rubbed her back.

"I thought I would never see you again." She said between sobs, as I broke the hug to look her in the eyes.

"Lexi, I am here now. That is all that matters." I replied, as I kissed her forehead.

She wrapped her arms around me again, and closed her eyes.

"I love you." She whispered, as she settled into the hug.

"I love you too." I replied, while brushing her hair behind her ear.

I knew that Lexi was feeling alone and terrified, and who wouldn't be?

Being torn from your world into another can take a lot out of someone.

I felt her chest rising and falling in my arms, she seemed so peaceful.

I started to close my eyes, and tightened my hug on her before drifting to sleep.

* * *

I know it's short! I'll post a longer chapter next time! Stay awesome everyone!


	27. Chapter 27

**Wow! That was an incredibly long time! I'm extremely sorry for the monumental delay. But the E.O.C.'s, my love life, family matters, and depression were all factors of it. **

**But I'm back now, so on with the show!**

**Make sure to review and enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER- I own nothing of Kung Fu Panda!**

**JADE PALACE**

_Tigress POV_

I escorted Masters Ox and Croc to Master Shifu's room. Knocking on the door lightly, I entered.

"Master Shifu, Masters Ox and Croc want to talk with you." I said, stepping inside as we entered.

"Ah, good to see old friends again," Master Shifu said, bowing to them.

"So it is," Master Ox replied, bowing back.

"What is it you needed to see me about?" Shifu asked.

"Well… How do I put this?" Ox asked.

"The Jade Palace will be attacked within a day according to our informant." Master Croc answered, a worried look on his face.

Master Shifu paused for a moment, and then looked to me.

"Tigress," He stated, getting my attention. "will you please leave us to discuss this matter privately?"

"Y-yes Master." I replied, bowing.

When I closed the door on my way out, I only heard one comment from Master Shifu:

"I thought we had more time."

…..

I quietly walked back to my room for some much-needed rest.

Maybe this time I can make it to my bed without another surprise visit.

"Tigress." I heard from outside my door.

I sighed audibly. "Yes Po?" I asked, opening my door.

"Why are Masters Ox and Croc here?" He asked, implying more wonder than curiosity.

"Because they are going to help us protect the Valley." I replied, avoiding looking in his eyes.

He looked at me with concern, and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

I looked to the ground. "Nothing. Everything's fine."

"Tigress, please tell me."

I sighed. "I'm just worried about the invasion, that's all."

"Well, what about Matthew? I mean, you did say you liked him."

"Thanks for adding to the stress," I said, smiling sarcastically.

"Sorry. Well, I guess I'll leave you to it," He responded, letting go of my shoulder to leave.

"Don't go," I whispered.

"What?"

"I-I want you to stay."

"Um, sure. Why?"

"I just feel safer with you." I answered, blushing slightly.

He was silent for a minute, looking me over.

"Tigress, is this about that thing you told me a few nights ago?"

"Well, I-." I blushed madly. "No. It's not."

"Oh..." He looked a bit disappointed. "Well, is it about Matthew?"

"Well, yes and no," I replied, stepping into the hallway.

"How is it both?" He asked.

"Well, I-"

We were interrupted by a frantic banging on the palace doors.

"What's that?" Po asked, as we approached the doors.

"I don't know. Who would be here at this hour?"

"Please, Master Shifu! Help!" We heard someone shout from behind the door.

I opened it to have a frantic pig nearly fall on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, helping him up.

He simply pointed to the valley.

There was no valley to be seen, only a rising inferno enveloping everything it touches.

It was then that I saw what had the pig so terrified. Standing at the top of the Thousand Steps, was Alex.

I immediately went into my defensive stance, and stepped in front of the shaking pig.  
"Po, bring him into the palace."  
"But Tigress, what about yo-"  
"NOW!" I hissed, making him comply.  
The palace doors closed as Alex stood feet from me.  
"Nice to see you again... Tigress, is it? It's nice to finally find leverage against Matthew with a more...enduring mindset."

"Leave." I replied, lowly growling at him.  
"Oh, and if I refuse?"  
"Then I will make sure you never want to return."  
"I would love to see you try." He taunted.

I quickly performed a roundhouse kick, aiming for his head.

He simply bent his head back, and connected his fist to my ribs.

I grunted as I stepped back, before delivering a flurry of punches.  
It was infuriating and unbelievable; he was dodging every one!

"Tigress!" I heard as the rest of the five and the other masters converged on either side of me.  
I threw yet another punch at Alex, only for him to grab it, and twist my arm, forcing me to the ground.  
Alex backed up as the rest of the Masters were moving towards him.

He started to chuckle. "You didn't think I came alone, did you?" He asked, with a smug grim on his face.  
He whistled, and pulled out his gun from its holster.

We saw the Wu Sisters, Fenghuang, and Bad Po walk beside Alex.  
We stood shocked, never before have there been more dangerous villains in one place at the same time.

And the JADE PALACE of all places!

"Here is how this will unfold:

all of you will surrender without a fight, and I will burn this place to the ground without as much as a hint of resistance." Alex announced, pointing his gun at my chest.

I gritted my teeth, glaring at him.  
"No." I heard Master Croc say.  
Alex looked to the ground, chuckling a bit.  
"Is something funny about that?" Master Ox asked.

"Yes." He said, composing himself.

"I simply don't understand when faced against impossible odds, you all continue to fight."  
"And we will continue to fight until you are stopped." I added, glaring at him.  
"Well then, have at it." He replied, flashing a toothy grin.

There was an eerie silence when we all paused to heard a loud thud behind Alex.  
He turned, as we peeked to see Bad Po flat on his back, with a knife jutting out of his bleeding throat.

We all turned to the Palace doors to see Mason, wearing a malicious grin on his face.

"What are you all looking at?" He asked. "Get them!"

I was taken aback by this, before returning looking back at Alex.  
"Attack!" I shouted.

Matthew's POV

I awoke, with Lexi by my side. She looked so beautiful in my arms. I could no longer feel the cart moving, so I assumed we were back. I gently lifted her off of me, and laid her on the carts wooden floor. I stood up and outstretched my arms, and took a deep breath in.

"Ack!" I started coughing, sitting up.  
"Driver! What's going on?" I asked, exiting the cart. There was no reply. "Driver?" I asked, composing myself from my slumber. I went to the driver's seat to see him staring straight ahead, his eyes wide with terror. I turned in the direction he was facing to see the Valley, burning brightly in the night.

I sprinted back to the cart and shook Lexi awake. "What is it?" She asked, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes.  
"You have to stay safe, and stay on the move."  
"Wait, Matthew, what are you talking abo-"  
"Listen, the Valley is under siege and I need to stop it. I will confront Alex, and then I will come back to see you again."  
"Matthew, wait! Slow down, what do you mean you'll see me again? Why are you leaving?"  
I simply pointed to the Valley.

She stared in awe as I kissed her forehead. "Stay safe, I love you." I said to her.  
She grabbed my arm. "Matthew, don't go. We can leave right now, and cut all ends to this place.

There is no need for you to help anyone here, I mean, you're not even a part of this world!

Stay with me, and cut all ties to this place, please." Her voice hitched, tugging on my arm. "For me."

"I can't, Lexi. I have to be here." I kissed her lips, and eased her hands off my arm. "You'll see me again." I said, sprinting toward the Valley.

I tried to organize my plan of attack against Alex, determining the outcome to my actions.  
I was in thought when I saw a sign; The Noodle Shop.

"Mr. Ping!" I shouted running to the rubble covering the restaurant's door.

I was frantically searching for a way around the debris. "Mr. Ping!" I shouted again, harshly ramming the obstacle with my shoulder.

A faint moan answered my calling.

"Mr. Ping, hold on! I'm here!" I shouted, breaking through the rubble.

I spotted him lying down beside some ash covered pans. "It's okay Mr. Ping, I got you!" I put him into a fireman's carry, and covered my mouth with my shirt.

I stumbled out of the restaurant, my lungs burning, cradling the terrified avian in my arms.

I gently set him on the ground, and lifted his head.

"Where is Alex?" I asked him, as he coughed frantically.

He closed his eyes and took in a raspy breath.

He pointed a shaking wing at the palace.

"Don't worry Mister Ping, I'm going to end this."

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**And there you have it! The plot thins once again!** **Have an awesome day everyone! **


	28. Chapter 28

**What's up guys? Here's yet another post, right before vacation. **

**Make sure to review and enjoy. **

* * *

_How could this have gone so wrong? _I asked myself, as I ascended the first of the Thousand Steps to the palace.

_Why am I even in this world? What happened? _I asked myself, as I tried to remember events before my arrival here.

I could see a bright light, hysterical screaming, a gunshot, and a malicious smile.

I fell to my knees as my head began to pound.

"Dammit!" I shouted, and gritted my teeth.

I stepped up to the palace, only to be horrified by the sight.

It was burning to a crisp, and the foundation was crumbling!

"ALEX!" I shouted to the night sky, as tears formed in my eyes.

"Matthew!" I heard through the pounding in my ears.

I turned to the training hall, and recognized the voice as Tigress'.

"I'm coming!" I shouted back, as I ran into the training hall.

I ran into the darkened training hall, as my eyes darted from corner to corner to find her.

"Matthew," I heard a voice whisper in the center of the training hall.

I cautiously walked over to the direction of the voice.

"Tigress?" I asked, extending my arms to find her in the darkness.

"Not exactly." Said a different, unexpected voice from behind me as the training hall doors slammed shut.

"Alex! Show yourself, you coward!" I shouted in the darkness, as I backed up into a Wooden Warrior.

The room lit up as a cigarette lighter ignited the far corner of the room.

I immediately took my fighting stance as I tried to calm myself down.

"Oh Matthew, you don't look at your best." I heard Alex say from the now chained doors.

I turned to him to see The Furious Five, The Dragon Warrior, Masters Ox and Croc, and Master Shifu all cuffed and gagged to the wooden warriors around me.

Alex stepped forward into the light of the inferno, pulling out his Desert Eagle.

"You look terrible, Matthew. Do you really want to look like this when you die?" Alex asked, as he looked back at the fire.

I stepped toward him with my fists raised, eying his every move.

"Well, I guess you don't have a choice. Neither do your friends. I mean, look at Tigress for instance." He said, as he lightly stroked her head.

"She's terrified."

She growled intimidatingly, as Alex leaned in next to her.

"What's wrong kitty, you don't appreciate your cremation?" He asked her, as I sprinted at him.

"Uh-uh-uh, that's not a very bright idea." He warned, as he pointed his desert Eagle at Tigress's head.

I backed off as he smiled. "Good." He looked back at the inferno as it began to lap at the Wooden Warriors.

"Well, it's been fun Matthew. Really, it has. But I must go." He jumped to the opening in the ceiling.

I looked to him as he smiled. "Goodbye Matthew." He said, as he used his lighter to light the ceiling.

He faded from view as the smoke began to burn my eyes.

"You bastard!" I screamed as I choked for air.

I fell to the ground as my lungs began to burn.

"Tigress." I whispered, as I crawled to her.

I looked into her eyes as I pulled the gag off her.

She was drifting in and out of consciousness as I looked back to the fire.

It had already started to set the Wooden Warriors ablaze.

"Shit." I said to myself, as I ran to the fire.

There was no way to put it out at this point as my mind began to race.

I heard a clamoring at the door as I ran to it.

"Help! Please! We're still in here!"

"Why do you think I'm here Matthew?!" I heard a voice shout from behind the door.

"Mason?!" I asked, as I vigorously yanked at the door handles.

"No, it's Santa Claus! Help me open this thing, dumbass!" He slammed his shoulder into the door.

I heard the doors crack as he did this. "Keep doing that!' I shouted, as I looked for something to break the chains.

I bolted around the room as I found a spear leaning against a wall.

I shoved the spear into the door handles, as I pulled with all my strength.

The handles snapped off as Mason burst through the doors.

"Matthew!" I heard Tigress scream from behind me.

I whipped around to see the fire enclosing on the Masters.

"Come on!" Mason shouted as he took the spear from my hands.

He struck the spear in between the cuffs and the Wooden Warriors as he freed Tigress.

I sprinted to a nearby ax as I cut the chains off of Po.

"Dammit! This is taking too long!" Mason shouted as he ran to the fire.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked as I freed Masters Ox and Croc.

"Something stupid." He said, as he used his spear to make the ceiling crumble onto the Wooden Warriors.

The debris crushed the Wooden Warriors, as the rest of the Masters were freed.

"Mason, come on!" I shouted, as everyone else sprinted out of the Training Hall, gasping for air.

He was halfway to me, as the ceiling collapsed, covering the entrance.

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**What a chapter, huh? More to come soon. **

**Stay awesome people. **


	29. Announcement

Hey everyone. I'm sure all of you are wondering why I haven't updated in such an extensive amount of time. I have been dealing with hard times in my life, and I don't see an end coming for a while. I will be absent for a few months, and this is by choice to come back at all. Let me assure you right now, I will NOT abandon this story like other writers. I will come back, in due time. That is a promise. Farewell for now, I look forward to seeing you all again.

Live and love, Matthew.


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